Beauty is Found Within
by kabashley19
Summary: My take on a modern version of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast".
1. It's the Morning of Your Very First Day

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm trying to keep the flow of this story consistent to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. There's no magic involved here though...trying to make it as realistic as possible.

**Disclaimer**: To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

She walked down the hallway trying to settle on a song to listen to on her iPod. It was early on a Wednesday morning, and it was her first day as a senior in a new high school. The hallway was beginning to show signs of life as she saw the early-bird students heading for their lockers. Occasionally glancing up from the device to make sure she didn't have a head-on collision with anyone or anything, it was surprisingly easy to find her way to the head office on a huge campus such as this. Plus, the big red sign with the word 'office' in bold wasn't that hard to notice. She put the iPod away and took a deep breath and opened the door. Inside, there were three desks, each with a different woman typing away at a computer. She approached the first desk she saw and spoke.

"Hi. My name's Annabelle Stock and I'm new to the school." The woman on the other side or the desk looked up at the girl over her red-rimmed glasses. She pushed them back with an equally red-lacquered finger and pointed at another woman sitting in the desk behind her.

"She can help you, sweetie. I only take care of attendance. Ms. Leones is in charge of new admissions." Annabelle thanked the woman and wondered if she should offer her a lozenge for her smokers-cough as she walked in the direction to the desk of a petite blonde who looked young enough to be right out of university.

"Hi there. Can I help you?"

"Yes. My name is Annabelle Stock and my dad called earlier this week to let you know that I'd be going to school here this year."

"Well, welcome to Castleton Heights!" The smile on her face was genuinely welcoming and Annabelle felt a little more at ease. After dispatching and receiving several pieces of information, she headed off to find her locker and was amazed at the transformation of the school. _I couldn't have been in there for more than 10 minute_s, she thought. The hallways were now filled with girls squealing because they hadn't seen their friends since last Saturday, guys pushing each other around and seeing who got more jacked over the summer and the typical nerdy kids who looked as if they just wanted to get through this day without getting beat up. Annabelle sighed and pulled out her iPod again to drown out the zoo-like noise assaulting her ears. As she walked through the maze of students, she didn't notice them stopping to look at her. She accidentally bumped into a boy with a big guitar case and some of his books fell to the floor. Annabelle stooped down to help him gather the mess while apologizing profusely, but was met with a pair of blue eyes glaring back at her. He ripped a sheet of paper from her hand and stormed around a corner near the end of the hall. Trevor Gaston, who had swerved away from his swooning female horde to get a look at the scene unfolded in front of him, realized that the girl with her back turned to him was the new 'fresh meat'. She stopped at a locker just a stones-throw away from his and he couldn't believe his eyes.

She was hot!

He looked her over from head to toe. He usually had a thing for blondes (any type of blonde), but this one had dark brown hair in a ponytail that nearly reached the middle of her back. The rest of her wasn't built too badly either. She had a woman's body, full and ripe like a tasty piece of fruit. _What I wouldn't give for a bite of that_, he thought smugly.

Adam Hawthorne peeked around the corner to get a look at the girl who bumped into him. He saw her concentrate as she tried to figure out the combination to her lock, her pink tongue showing through her strawberry-red lips. Her face looked slightly frustrated as she attempted a second try to unlock the contraption and finally, success. A smile touched her mouth as she opened her locker and placed her sweater inside. Adam opened his own locker and tossed his books inside, not caring that they might tear. _Dad can afford to pay for it anyways_, he thought bitterly. He placed his guitar carefully inside; making sure no idiot classmates of his ruined the one thing that meant anything to him. Before closing the door, he glanced around the corner again. She was still there, looking through her bag. He closed his eyes and pictured her face in front of his. Big, brown doe-like eyes set in a round face flushed with a light pink from the embarrassment of colliding with him. Her hair framed her face so you could see her slightly high forehead. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his long red-gold hair, making it messier than it had been before. She was beautiful. He had seen many pretty girls before, mostly the debutante-type because his mother constantly arranged play-dates for him when she needed a dose of society gossip from the other mothers. Until she left, that is. _More like ran off_, Adam thought bitterly again, _with that Italian idiot_. His mind wandered (as it often did) as he recalled standing on front of his the door to his father's study at the tender age of 13, listening as his mother stated that she wanted a divorce. He remembered his father's booming voice,

"_Divorce? DIVORCE? So you can run away with that race-car driver of yours to go gallivanting all over Europe? You seriously can't be that stupid, Ingrid."_

"_Don't sass me, Vincent. He has breathed life into me again. I have a reason to go on, but not with this charade. We both knew that this marriage was over a long time ago. I can have adventures with him, while all you've done is lock me up in this house-turned-prison!"_

"_Mansion, my dear…and don't forget that YOU are the one that chose this 'prison'. And I don't seem to recall you ever complaining when you walk through the front doors with an armful of bags from some designer stores I really couldn't care less about."_

"_Spending your money was the only thing I could do in this hell-hole!"_

"_Oh, really? What about oogling the pool boys as you lounge in a chair in a swimsuit that, might I add, is a little too risqué for someone your age? Oh, don't give me that innocent look, Ingrid. I know that this Italian is only another notch on your belt. I know all about the others."_

"_Oh, and you're the epitome of innocence! I know about your liaison as well with your secretary. Face it, Vincent. I'm leaving you with or without a divorce." _

"_You seem to be forgetting something, dear. Adam."_

"_What about Adam?" _

"_If you leave me, you'll be leaving him too. I wont give up my son; if you go, he stays." There was a long silence and Adam heard his mother's low chuckle. _

"_Oh, really, Vincent. I can't take him along with me. It would be such a bother to try and live life with a child to worry about at home. Not that I could do much with him here anyways. Besides, I was going to send him to a boarding school in England at the start of the new school year. Now if you're done with the threats, darling, I'd like to pack my things and leave this godforsaken life behind." Adam heard footsteps approach and quickly leapt into the shadows. He watched his mother's flame-red hair trail behind her as she walked out of his life, but the boy felt no sadness. He clutched at his heart and his face grew red with anger. In a seething voice, low enough for only the shadows to hear, he said,_

"_I hate you."_

_That was his goodbye to her. This woman who gave him life and now disappeared as if she were only a hologram never showed him any affection. He didn't care. She was gone now, and it was as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders. Adam turned to the study and stood in the doorway and watched his father as he poured himself a drink of brandy. At least now we have each other, Adam thought. Vincent Hawthorne turned around to see his son standing motionless, seeming to wait for some kind of acknowledgement that he mattered in this situation at all. But instead of opening his arms to give his some a comforting embrace, Vincent sighed and faced his window. The boy was dejected. He realized that in this world, there was no one there for him. His mind twisted into thoughts of hate and contempt for all those around him, vowing never to let anyone get close to him. It would only cause more pain. _

_When the maids opened the door to his room later that week to clean, they were astonished at the sight they saw. The walls had holes in them from where Adam had been punching and kicking to let out his frustration. His pillows were torn to shreds, his bed rumpled. Pictures had fallen to the floor, glass scattered on the carpet and any family photos lay ripped to shreds all about the room. Crouched in the corner, Adam looked up at the maid who called his name softly. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles; he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. _

"_Get out." He said sternly to the two women. When they looked at each other, deciding if they should leave, Adam shot up to his full height and yelled at the top of his lungs. _

"_GET OUT!" _

_The terrified maids scurried out of the room and ran to their quarters. They looked at one another in disbelief. One finally spoke, still clutching the rag and bottle of furniture polish close to her chest. _

"_What has happened to him? The child…he's turned into a…a beast!"_


	2. Just Cast An Eye In Her Direction

_Jerk_, Annabelle thought to herself as she turned to her locker. She tried to open the lock but accidentally put in the wrong combination. After another try, she opened the door and briefly relished the victory against the steel enemy. As she placed her things inside, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw three blonde girls obviously gossiping about her, when the one wearing pink nudged the one wearing green, and she nudged the one wearing orange. Their eyes seemed to glaze over as a tall, muscular boy came into view. He had his black hair in a faux-hawk and was wearing a jacket with the schools initials on the front and 'Castleton Football' on the back; the very image of your typical high-school jock.

_Oh god_, Annabelle thought, _please make him keep walking_. She rolled her eyes as he strutted towards her, reminding her of a peacock she saw at the zoo once. He extended one hand to place it on the steel door next to her, making her unable to escape.

"What's up?" he said, cocking a thick eyebrow.

"Uh, nothing?" He held out his hand for her to shake and she hesitatingly took it.

"You're new here?"

"How'd you guess?" she replied sarcastically.

"Funny. Do you have a name to go with that gorgeous face?" _and body_, he mentally added.

"Annabelle. But my friends back home called me Belle, for short."

"That's French for 'beautiful', right? Perfect fit; I'm just upset that I didn't think of it myself." _I doubt that you could have_, Belle thought with a smile. All brawn and no brains seemed to fit him perfectly. Thinking that smile was for him, Trevor grinned and leaned in closer to her with the words 'would you like to go to dinner' right on his tongue, when a short, stubby boy appeared out of nowhere and slapped Trevor on the back.

"Gaston! Where have you been, man? The guys have been looking for you and…whoa. Who's this?" The short boy looked Belle over from head to toe, as if amazed to see her standing in front of him.

"You jackass…don't ever do that again! Do you want me to slip a disc or something?" Trevor cursed under his breath straightened his jacket. "This is Belle, the new girl. Belle, this is-"

"Cooper Halverson. But I'm known among the ladies as 'LeFou'." Belle screwed up her face trying to figure out how he ever came up with a nickname like that to go with such an ordinary first name.

"'LeFou'?"

"He got it back in the 7th grade. Our French teacher was trying to get us to concentrate on adjectives and verbs or something, and he kept on goofing off. She got so frustrated that she yelled out: 'How can anyone teach a class with 'le fou' always here?' It stuck…and it works for him." Trevor explained.

"Well, congratulations," Belle said with a nod in LeFou's direction. She opened up her schedule and her eyebrows came together n confusion.

"Problem?" Trevor asked.

"Yeah, can you point me in the direction of room 231? It's my first class of the day."

"Hey, that's my homeroom this year! Aren't I lucky?" He said as he casually slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I'd be glad to show you. Maybe we can even get seats next to each other."

"Uh…" Belle hastily searched her brain for an excuse. She didn't feel like drawing any more attention to her, and the three blondes were already eyeing daggers at her. "I actually have to go back to the office to clear something up. But maybe I'll see you in there." Damn it, she could've kicked herself. She didn't want to give any indication to this muscle-moron that she would be speaking to him in the near future. Sharing a class with him was bad enough. She walked to the direction of the office and quickly realized that she did have a reason for going there. After asking for a map of the campus, she easily found her way to her homeroom and walked through the door just as the teacher, Mr. Klein, was going through attendance. Belle handed him a slip that stated her purpose and he studied her over his glasses, pulling at the neck of his black turtle-neck, his grey eye-brows raised in slight surprise. He rose from his desk and adjusted his white, balding hair while he placed Belle in front of him, facing the class.

"Ahem…Students, I would like to introduce you to your newest classmate, Annabelle Stock. Why don't you tell the class a few things about yourself while I start distributing textbooks?" Belle's eyes followed her skinny teacher as he reached the shelf on the other side of the room, and gathered up her courage to speak to the crowd of eyes that were fastened upon her, waiting for her to say something.

"Uh…Hi. My name's Annabelle, but you can call me Belle for short. I moved here from a small vineyard in the country that my dad owned, but since the company's getting bigger he decided we should move here." Some whispers went about the class and Belle coughed nervously. "I…I hope that we get to know each other better as the year goes by." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and practically ran to her seat.

About a half-hour went by as her teacher started his lecture on Napoleon Bonaparte. Belle was interested at first, but eventually succumbed to the boredom that overcame the rest of the class. She doodled in her notebook and gazed out the window, wishing she was anywhere else but this class. She felt a prickly sensation on the back of her neck and scratched at it, but it wouldn't go away. She suddenly felt like someone was watching her. She discreetly looked over her shoulder and saw the boy who she had bumped into earlier. When she caught his eye, he scowled and looked back down at his textbook.

_He can't still be mad about that, can he?_

Still lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Mr. Klein standing over her, ruler in hand, arms crossed. Belle was startled by the tall man's cough to get her attention.

"Thank you for joining us again, Miss Stock. I know that this is your first day, but I will not tolerate any daydreaming during my lessons," he regarded her sternly. A hushed 'ooh' floated among the other students as Mr. Klein straightened and tapped the end of the ruler to his chin. "Now, do you mind telling the class the name of the island to which Bonaparte was exiled?" Belle looked about the room and saw eager eyes awaiting her response. She shifted nervously in her chair, once again uneasy at all the attention towards her and turned shy eyes up to the man.

"I'm sorry sir. Did you mean the first time he was captured, or the second?"


	3. All My Troubles Seemed So Far Away

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I have extreme writer's block...that's why this chapter is crap. I'm trying my best to write this story but I've been busy, and blah blah blah...the usual excuse (but it's the truth!)

**Disclaimer**: To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

He stared down at her with disbelieving eyes. Someone actually knew something! Mr. Klein was, for a moment, uncharacteristically speechless. He blinked twice and stuttered in response.

"T-The…first time."

"Elba, sir. He was exiled to Elba, but escaped." The teacher squared his shoulders and slowly turned away from Belle's desk.

"Yes, Elba. Now this is where Napoleon…" His voice grew faint as Belle resumed her daydreaming only to be interrupted again.

"Psst…" a girl with short blonde hair was leaning towards her from the next desk. "How did you know that?"

"I read up on Napoleon before. Why?"

"You kinda put Mr. Klein in his place." The other girl's dark blue eyes motioned to the teacher who was now pointing to a map of Europe at the front of the class. Belle's confused expression turned to one of slight panic.

"I—I didn't mean to…Am I in trouble?" She spoke in a hushed voice.

"No…it was awesome! No one's ever showed him up before!" The bell signalling the end of the class pierced the air and the students surrounding the girls lazily stood to face their next class. Belle was placing her textbook in her bag as the blonde girl hopped over her desk and held out a friendly hand.

"My name's Lia Potts." Belle shook her hand lightly. "You must be nervous, huh?"

"How can you tell?"

"Your hand was shaking like crazy. But don't worry, once you get through your first class the rest of the day is a piece of cake." Lia adjusted the hair pin holding her wispy bangs back out of her eyes. "What's your next class?"

Belle scowled as she looked at her schedule as they moved to the hallway. "Math," She cringed at the word. Not her strongest subject, but one that she could afford to coast by on.

"Cool. The math classes are in the east wing of the building and all the seniors have lunch at the same time. I'd love if you'd eat with us." Her smile was so genuine and her invitation was so friendly that Belle found herself agreeing before she could even register the information. "I think our lockers are near each other. Why don't we meet there after class? It was nice meeting you!" They waved to each other as they went their separate ways, Belle's feet moving faster as she heard Trevor's unmistakeable voice.

Math class couldn't be all bad if it could get her away from him.

* * *

Belle sighed as she moved toward her locker. Lunch time, at last. She could already hear her stomach rumbling as she fiddled with her lock and placed her new books inside.

"Ahem."

She froze. _No…please don't be Trevor!_ She slowly straightened and saw a short, stubby boy standing on the other side of her locker door. His dark auburn hair was combed back and his face had baby-like features; small nose, pursed thin lips and large, analytical eyes. She stared blankly at him until he finally spoke, with a slight British accent.

"Annabelle? It's delightful to meet you. I'm Charles Newman II."

"You can call him Charlie like everyone else." A tall, lanky boy approached. He wasn't bad-looking, but his nose was too big for his face. He had his hands behind his back and stood beside Charlie. "My name is Lenny, short for Leonard. But I won't waste your time about my family's history…unlike _some_ people." He rolled his eyes and Charlie's face grew pink with annoyance.

"Jackass. Why are you here?"

"I wanted to introduce myself to Belle. It's not every day we get a new girl who's as pretty as she is." Lenny winked at Belle and a slight blush stained her cheeks. "Why are _you_ introducing yourself, Charlie? Usually, the only people that interest you are…" Lenny didn't finish his sentence. His gaze seemed to follow a brunette who flounced down the hallway.

"Lenny? Earth to Leonard! God…one pretty girl crosses your path and you can't even finish insulting me!" Charlie said, snapping his fingers in front of Lenny's eyes. Lenny's attention returned to the pair in front of him, an insult ready on the tip of his tongue.

"Can you two quit it?" Lia said, walking towards them. "You're best friends, but you argue like an old married couple!" Belle's eyes widened at Lia's statement. These two were best friends? Impossible!

"You stay out of this, _Ophelia_!" Lia's eyes widened as Charlie said her proper name.

"Uh oh," Lenny exclaimed, delighted; "now you're in for it! You know she hates that!" Charlie couldn't tear his eyes away from Lia, and he seemed to cower under her heightening rage. But suddenly, just as soon as it appeared, the fury faded from her face and a calm, sweet girl was once again before them.

"Lenny, don't be a moron. I'm not mad!" _Anymore_, she mentally added. "Anyway, Belle ought to know the truth. My real name is Ophelia Claire Potts. Mom was an actress before she married my dad, but she never got the acting bug out of her system."

"Was she a Shakespearian actress?" Belle asked.

"Yeah, but how did you know that?"

"Ophelia is the name of a character in 'Hamlet', so I figured-"

"How do you know so much about Shakespeare?" Charlie asked Belle, his eyes narrowing.

"Why does it matter?" Lia intervened, "leave her alone. Anyways, I always despised _Ophelia_; it made me sound like an old lady and all the kids used to make fun of me so much that I hated going to school. I was home-schooled until the third grade. I'm over it now, but some people keep forgetting that it's the one thing that I hate about myself more than anything!" She eyed Charlie with a look that warned him that he wasn't out of trouble yet and then lightly suggested that they make their way to the cafeteria to eat.

As Belle walked alongside Lia, the boy she had bumped into earlier was just stepping out of the doorway. He had more papers in his hand and was turning to walk in the opposite direction of them.

"Hey, Adam!" Lia called, and the boy's head shot up. A slight smile crossed his face as he saw Lia but turned into a scowl again as he recognized Belle. Belle grimaced as he walked to them, but Lia spoke to him as if she was oblivious to his bad mood.

"Have you met the new girl yet?" Lia said as she motioned to Belle. Belle frowned at him, remembering his rudeness to her.

"She's in our history class, right?" Adam said, only glancing at Belle's face. He couldn't bring himself to look at her; he knew he was rude to her that morning, but his pride wouldn't let him apologize. _Besides_, he thought, _she probably wouldn't accept it now. It's too late to say sorry._ He turned to Lia, "Are Lenny and Charlie already in the cafeteria?" Before Lia could answer, Belle spoke up.

"We're in the same class but we met before then, remember? When we bumped into each other?" Belle was trying to coax an apology out of him; he seemed like the type who needed to be pushed into saying two small words. "You're stuff went everywhere. Did anything break?"

"No, luckily," He felt her eyes on him, and he felt his cheeks burning with heat. He needed to get away from her.

"Well, good. It was just really hard to maneuver around...you know, with people everywhere."

"Well...next time you should pay attention to where you're going!" He stormed away from them and left Belle taken aback. The guy was impossible! She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips as she watched him grow smaller as he walked down the hall. A feeling of dislike immediately washed over her and she turned to Lia, shaking her head.

"Do you believe him? I try to be nice and he acts like he hates me! Well, the feeling's mutual. Jerk," She said as she glanced in his direction again.

"Don't worry about Adam. It takes him a while to warm up to people. But he wasn't always like that."

"What do you mean? How do you know?"

"We've been going to school together for as long as I can remember. We were all really close at one point, him and Charlie and Lenny and me, but something happened when we were 13 that changed him. He went from a really nice kid to a complete loner, kind of emo-ish. No one went near him anymore; and everyone turned on him when he beat up a jock and that's when everyone started calling him 'the Beast'."


	4. Outcasts and Girls With Ambitions

Belle's first lunch at school was interesting. The three bleach-blonde girls that she had seen earlier that morning sat with their clique and were once again obviously gossiping about her. Trevor's thunderous voice echoed across the entire space as he and the boisterous group of friends who trailed behind him burst into the cafeteria, and they headed straight for the blonde's table. Belle turned her amused gaze to the chicken sandwich she held in her hand, and picked at the lettuce that hung over the edges. Her head shot up when she heard Lenny say her name.

"Belle, Trevor's looking at you." She noted the hint of knowing behind Lenny's voice as she raised an eyebrow and glanced in Trevor's direction. As soon as she did, Trevor resumed his animated conversation with the blondes, one of who was staring daggers at Belle.

Belle scoffed and continued working on her sandwich.

"You know, if you keep doing that, you're not gonna have any lettuce left." Belle nearly choked on air when Trevor's voice was suddenly right in her ear. She turned to her left and her nose was practically touching Trevor's, his corners of his mouth turned up in a seductive smile. She stared back at him, eyes wide.

"You scared me," She said simply.

"Sorry. I tend to do that; I move like a panther…slowly stalking my prey," Her eyebrow shot up again. The guy just didn't get the hint.

"You already have enough 'prey' over there," she jerked her chin in the direction of the blondes. Trevor gave a quick look and chuckled.

"The triplets? No, they're just friends of mine. I mean, yeah, I dated Samantha for about a month, then Cassandra for a few weeks and finally Amanda…up until I decided that, 'hey, what's wrong with dating all three?'" He explained to her, obviously proud of himself. "But what I really want to focus on is you. So, how about it? Are you free this Friday? I can show you around the town."

"I don't think so. I mean, thanks for asking, but maybe some other time. I have to help my dad out that night. Sorry." Belle then turned to Lia and asked her to go with her to her locker, leaving Trevor with his mouth hanging open as he watched Belle walk out of the cafeteria. He shook his head and heard a gawk from Lenny. Trevor smiled, showing his wolfish teeth and turned to them. "She'll come around." He held his smile as his friends greeted him when he returned to his table. Questions flew about, and the girls sitting around them strained their ears to listen to his response.

"Gaston, man, what'd she say?" LeFou asked, somehow squirming through the broad-shouldered jocks that circled around.

"She couldn't make it, but she's just playing hard to get. I could see in her eyes that she's crazy about me; it won't take long till she's all over me."

"She's hot, isn't she? I mean, whoo…when I first saw her, I wanted to-"

"You better not even be thinking of doing that with her now or so help me, I will leave you to the mercy of the linebackers when they're in the shower after practice! She's mine; she's the only girl who's gorgeous enough to be on my arm." A whimper came from the triplets and Trevor grabbed Cassandra's hand and gave them his most seductive smile.

"C'mon girls; you know that you're still my favourite blondes," they sighed and batted their eyelashes in approval, content that they hadn't completely lost him. But the thought that lurked in the back of Trevor's mind was, _how come that didn't work on Belle?_

Adam entered the cafeteria through the doors on the opposite side of the room. He saw Lenny and Charlie sitting together, arguing as usual, and tried to make his way to them as quickly as he could when he was nearly knocked over for the second time today. A jock that had been carrying a tray of food was now had his team jacket smeared in chocolate pudding, tray and his slice of pizza lay face-down on the floor, grease splattered on his immaculately clean sneakers, and he was glaring at Adam.

"Watch where you're going! Aw, man…look at my kicks! You better start cleaning them or else-" Adam turned around, his face a mask of fury. The jock was taken aback; Adam looked like he wanted to kill somebody. When he spoke, his voice seethed with rage.

"'Or else' what?" His eyes blazed and his nostrils flared. The jock picked up his tray and stepped away from the mess.

"Never mind. Just…never mind." He remembered the other guy that Adam had beat up last year. Some people said that he was beat up so bad, he almost died. The kid was in college now, but some said that he still had to walk with crutches. He didn't want to miss his graduation on account of some spilled food. The girl who was walking with him clutched his arm and began pulling him away. As Adam, too, turned to walk away, he heard the boy mumble, "Someone let 'the beast' out of his cage."

Still angry, Adam finally made his way to Lenny and Charlie. They waited for him to sit down and asked him if he was alright.

"I'm fine," Adam said sharply. "Where's Lia? "

"She went with Belle to her locker. What happened over there?"

"Nothing. Just forget it." Adam opened his backpack and found his lunch, which he immediately tore into. Mayonnaise was all over his mouth when he looked up to respond to Lenny's next question.

"Have you met Belle yet?"

"Yeah. She's in my homeroom."

"And? Whattya think of her? I think she's the most beautiful thing I've seen. Long, brown hair, stunning brown eyes that look like milk chocolate encased in a visage so pink—"

"Okay, seriously? Shut up. It's getting old, that whole 'Casanova' bit. Who the hell still talks like that?" Adam said.

"What? I'm just stating facts. You don't think she's pretty?" Adam hesitated and looked down at what was left of his sandwich. Charlie's lips turned up at the corners and he nudged Lenny. "Ahh…so you DO. Have you talked to her?"

"No. At least, not in a complete conversation. Besides, what good would it do me? She hates me already…I can see it in her face."

"How can she hate you? You barely know each other!"

"I…I bumped into her this morning. She knocked me over in the hallway. You should have seen my notebooks! They flew everywhere. She obviously hasn't learned how to walk yet."

"Well, it IS her first day, Adam. She probably didn't know where she was going." Charlie defended as he tugged on a stray string on his shirtsleeve.

"Not my problem. Shoulda found a map or something." The two boys gave each other a 'look' as they watched Adam devour the rest of his sandwich.

* * *

October brought a chill to the air as the leaves started falling. Belle revelled in the changing colours, the light wind that bit at her nose and made her cheeks flush a bright pink. Since she first started, and thanks to Lia, she grew to like this new town. She discovered all the local hotspots for teens her age but she mainly avoided them because Trevor seemed to be everywhere she would go. The only place that she would truly find solace was a small bookstore/ café that she was lucky enough to find work at. Bonus points: Trevor would never be found near a book, let alone an entire store.

She loved the bookstore. The minute she walked in, she thought she was in a movie. The entire shop was filled with shelves of a cherry-coloured wood that was almost completely faded from years of wear and tear (Lia explained that the store had been there since her grandparents were teenagers), with books lined up along every wall with gliding ladders that reached the top of the ceiling. Near the back of the shop were five or six bistro tables with chairs awaiting the usual elderly patron awaiting a cup of fresh brewed coffee or to read their newspaper in peace. That is, until Saturday morning came about. Parents would drop off their kids (usually toddlers) while they went about their weekend errands, and the group would gather in front of the store window and sit in a patch of brightly coloured pillows with a large, worn armchair at the head. They would yell and ask so many questions that many of the readers' heads would be spinning by the time the hour was over. Belle was asked to fill in once, and the kids remained so quiet, the owner, Martha, was sure that something terrible had happened. But when she peeked around a case to look, she saw the kids were engrossed in the story that Belle was reading. It wasn't the book; it must've been read about 30 times since they had started this program, but the way Belle was telling the story. She made the characters sound alive and she seemed just as excited as the children. Martha smiled as the other customers stopped to listen too, most pretending they weren't.

Belle was the reader every Saturday from that day on.

One day in particular, when Belle was reading Charlotte's Web, she noticed a little boy of about 5 was sitting right in front. He had been at the reading hour a couple of times before, but today she really noticed him. His eyes were a light blue, and his blond hair was messily set. He looked at her with curiosity and wonder, and his eyes sparkled with excitement when she had asked him to get the book off of the shelf for her. It unsettled her a bit, the way he was staring. He seemed familiar, but Belle was sure that she had never spoken to him before today.

When reading hour was over, the kids scrambled up to get their coats as their parents arrived to pick them up and take them home, each one chattering about the new story they heard. The little boy sat on the carpet among the crowd of children, still staring at her. Belle looked away uneasily and was about to get up when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Belle! How was it today?" Belle smiled at Lia and waved her over, when the little boy suddenly bounced up.

"Lia!" he cried. He ran towards her and caught her knees in a tight squeeze, nearly making her topple over.

"Hiya, buddy! Did you have fun today?" the boy nodded as Lia took his hand and walked towards Belle. "Belle, this is my brother Benvolio."

"Real Shakespeare nut, huh?" Belle said grinning. She crouched down to the boy's height and smiled her brightest smile. "Hey Benvolio. Did you like the story?"

"Ben! I don't like 'Ben-ov-lio'!" he said, determinedly. Lia laughed, "Yeah, that's mom's doing again. He prefers Ben. Or Chip, like my Dad calls him."

"Chip?"

"Yeah. See his ear?" Lia pointed to a little dip on the edge of his ear. "He was born with it. It makes him extra special." She mussed up his hair and he giggled. Belle had never seen such a happy kid. There must have been a lot of love in this family. Ben pointed a chubby finger at Belle.

"I like her. She's fun. Is she your friend, Lia? Can she come read to me at home? Can you..." Ben's voice trailed away as Lia put his jacket on and led him outside. Belle smiled to herself and set to work on organizing the horror section. Humming to herself and completely engrossed in what she was doing, she didn't hear the door chimes ring.

Trevor took a deep breath and opened the door to the bookshop. He gazed around at the now dying crowd and scrunched up his nose in disgust. It was so quiet, and it smelled like a library...Belle actually worked here? He could hardly believe that a girl as hot as her would work with geezers and kids in a place where she couldn't parade that fine body of hers around. All the other girls did that.

He didn't see her right away, so he paraded through the small aisles until he saw her. She stood on her toes to reach the top shelf and then bent over to reach into the box...whoa. What a view, Trevor thought. He watched as Belle stopped what she was doing and opened a book and began reading a few pages. He put on his seductive smile and strode over to stand behind her, hoping to surprise her. He did more than that.

"Caught you." He whispered in her ear. Belle was so startled that she dropped the book and the entire shop stopped to look in their direction. Breathless, she turned to face Trevor.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, hand at her chest. His gaze lingered at her hand for a moment before looking straight into her eyes.

"What? No 'Hey, Trevor'?"

"Hey, Trevor." She started to reach down to grab the book she dropped but Trevor was faster and got it before she did.

"Shouldn't you be working instead of daydreaming? Besides," he said as he held it in front of him like it was diseased, "how can you read this? There's no pictures!"

"Some people use their imagination, Trevor. It's not that hard." She hoped he would catch on to what she said and leave her alone, but he merely laughed it off and tossed the book back in the box carelessly.

"Belle, there's more important things than books and stories."

"Like what? Football and dating?"

"What? No. Actually, football is the most important. And as far dating is concerned, there's only one person that I'd like to focus on."

"Really? Who?" As if she didn't know already.

"Y-O-U, Belle. So, what d'ya say? Let's go out. You can escape this dump and you can stop reading books for fun."

"I like reading books for fun. I learn new things that way."

"Puh-lease, Belle. Girls don't need to read...it's not right. You have your gorgeous face and as far as I'm concerned that's all you need. And you know what guys say about girls who read too much." She stood staring at him. Trevor thought that he had finally gotten through to her; a girl's biggest fear is not getting noticed by guys. Any minute now, she would be begging him to take her out (or just take her, which he would gladly do). Obviously pleased with himself, he smiled and awaited her next move. Belle blinked, and then smiled a sweet smile.

"Would you excuse me? I have a lot of work to do." She grabbed the box from the floor and practically ran to the storage room in the back. Trevor once again stood dumbfounded. He shook his head and forced himself to come up with an answer for what the hell just happened. The thrill of the chase, he finally decided was the reason why she hadn't taken the bait. _Ah, well_, he thought as he walked out the door, _there's always tomorrow_.

Belle very nearly slammed the door to the back room and set the box of books down with a thud. If she wasn't at work, she would have slapped him so hard, his brain (or what little there was of it) would have rattled. She wanted to beat the insolence out of him! The guy was living in the 1950s, and he actually expected her to fall for a line like that! _Well, look who he usually went after_, Belle told herself. Bleached, bubble-head blondes whose biggest concern is not getting their nails ruined. "Idiot!" she spat. She faced a wall and placed her forehead against it. After counting to ten to calm herself, she slowly opened the door and peeked her head out to look around the store. As Martha walked by to give Mr. Harris is coffee, Belle stopped her.

"Is he gone?"


	5. A Man Must Break His Back

**AN:** This chapter isn't great. I've hit a major writer's block PLUS Christmas is practically here, so I don't have much time for writing. But I'm trying...I promise!  
And thanks to everyone who's written a review; it lifts my spirits when I read 'em!

**DISCLAIMER:** To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

"Someone has their eye on you!" Martha sang in her rich voice that echoed through the store. At 50 years young, she was buxom-built with an operatic flare. Belle loved the way she put her outfits together as if she _were _going to an opera rather than coming to work in a dusty, old bookstore.

"Please, Martha. I hear it enough at school. Not you too!" Belle pleaded. She re-filled a coffee pot with fresh brew. "And does everyone know?"

"I do!" Mr. Harris exclaimed from behind his newspaper. "And you're a lucky girl. From what I hear, most girls would give their right arm to have such attention thrust upon them."

"I don't want him 'thrusting' anything anywhere near me," Belle muttered under her breath. Martha stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Why, Belle, I didn't know you to talk like that. I'm astonished!"

"I don't, and it wasn't meant for you to hear. But I just don't understand why everyone is making a big deal out of me not going out with him."

"My dear," Martha said as she leaned over the counter, flipping her scarf over her shoulder, "the football captain asking the beautiful new girl on a date? It's every high-school girl's fantasy. I remember when I was your age I had a crush on the star of the basketball team…"

"It's not my fantasy; I just want to get through this last year of school so I can go to college." She placed the pot down and looked at the clock. Her shift was done.

Belle clutched her coat as she turned the key to her house. When she stepped inside, she shivered at the sudden rush of heat and took off her backpack.

"I'm home!" She said. Soon after, she heard a loud thud followed by a man's voice.

"Oh, damn it all to hell!" Belle shrugged out of her coat quickly and ran towards the basement. When she ran down the stairs, she almost laughed at the sight of her father hunched over a large puddle of spilt red liquid. He was completely covered in it too.

"Dad! Are you okay?"

"This stupid, stupid pail. The handle broke as I was carrying it." He let his stumpy leg swing back and kicked the pail out of frustration. Belle ran to retrieve it, and grabbed a cloth from a work bench. Mr. Maurice Stock had converted their large basement into a wine cellar/ miniature winery. He was always down there trying to come up with a new flavour of wine and so far, it was safe to say he was unsuccessful.

Belle handed the cloth to Maurice who began wiping his face vigorously while she ran to get a mop and pail. She smiled to herself as her father continued his rant.

"I don't know why I ever got into this business. It gives me nothing but trouble and a mess at the end of the day, and I'm just about to give up on this stupid idea of mine!"

"You _always_ say that," she said, trying to hide the amusement in her voice.

"I mean it this time! I quit!"

"Dad," Belle said, as she went to put her hands on his thick shoulders. She was about a head taller than he was, and his grey hair was dripping with wine. His thick, grey moustache puffed out and she could tell he was pouting. "You can't give up on this. You love what you do. Okay, yeah, maybe you have an accident here or there but did that ever stop you when you first started out? No. You've come so far…why throw it all away only to give up now?" Maurice looked up at his daughter, with hope in his eyes. He loved his little girl. She was independent, beautiful, intelligent, caring…he sighed as he raised his hand to touch her cheek; she was just like her mother in every way. Her mother who had passed away when Belle was only six.

"Okay, princess. You've convinced me. I'll stick with it…for you. Now," he exclaimed as he grabbed the pail that stood beside him, "let's get this place cleaned up!"

"What were you trying to do anyways, Dad? Flood the house?"

"I _thought _I had a new idea for a flavour of wine but things kind of got out of control…and you can probably guess the rest. How about you? How was work today?"

"It was alright. I brought a bunch of new books home. 30% discount, remember?"

"That's nice. But why are you always reading? A young girl like you should be going out and having fun."

"Trying to get rid of me, Dad?" Belle said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not, honey. I just…worry about you. You're always at home; why don't you go out with your friends?"

"I don't really want to. I'd rather be at home, and it's not like I _never_ go out...Lia and I go to a movie once in a while."

"I was just making a suggestion. By the way, a boy called for you. He said his name was Trevor? Is he a friend from school?"

"A stalker is more like it. He's convinced that I have to be his girlfriend, or something. Everywhere I go, he's there!"

"He must really like you, then. Wait, was he the boy in the newspaper yesterday? The football captain?"

"Yeah, he is."

Maurice let out a low whistle. "He's very good looking, wouldn't you say so?"

"What are you getting at, Dad?" Belle eyed him warily.

"Well, I just don't see why you don't like him. He sounded like a very nice boy on the phone."

"Dad! Okay, fine. He's good-looking, I'll admit to that. But he's so rude and conceited and he never passes his reflection without trying to make love to himself! He walks around like he's God's greatest gift to the world, and he's just so…so…not for me."

"Okay, okay. I get it." Maurice raised his hands in defence and turned towards his work station as Belle put the mop away. His eyes fell on a jar of spilt balsamic vinegar that was dripping into a small bucket of wine. "Oh, jeez! Will you look at this? Now this batch is probably ruined!" he dipped his finger in the bucket and brought it to his lips. When she returned, he was smacking his lips and drinking from a glass.

"Belle, come and try this." She went over and tasted the wine.

"It's good…it's really good."

"It's better than that! It's fantastic! It's what I've been looking for all this time!" He placed a lid on the bucket and put it in the fridge. "This is it, Belle. This is my big chance!"

"Way to go, Dad! I knew you could do it!" She hugged him tightly.

"Now I don't have to cancel my meeting with that big-shot executive."

"Really? That's great Dad! When did this happen?"

"I got a call from him the other day and he said that he was interested in the company. With his help, this could go global, honey!" Maurice said as he practically danced around the room. Belle was ecstatic for her father. Things had never been easy for him since her mother died, and she could tell by the way he looked at her sometimes that she reminded him so much of her. He deserved this chance at success, and to Belle, it was a long time coming.


	6. Run Away, Don't Bother Me

**AN:** To all of you who have been so patient and gave amazing reviews...THANK YOU! I'm really trying my best to figure out how to propell this story further, and lately the block is being lifted. Once again, I'm not COMPLETELY happy with this chapter, but I promise better things to come.

**DISCLAIMER:** To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

"Bye Dad! Good luck!"

"Bye Belle! Take care while I'm gone!" Belle waved to her father as he entered the security checkpoint at the airport. She giggled as he fumbled to get his contents out of his pockets to place them in the container and turned to wave one final time before taking off for California.

Ever since that day in the basement, the demand for Maurice's "accidental wine" skyrocketed. It only took until the middle of November for a big company to invite him to meet with some of their people to discuss their interest in this product. If things went well, Maurice could afford to put Belle through all four years of college and pay for her wedding (a big, lavish one) without even blinking an eye, and still have plenty of money left over to buy a house in Hawaii.

Belle was to be left alone for about a week, and at first she revelled in the thought of staying home by herself, being able to do whatever she wanted. But the closer the day came when her father had to leave, the sadder she became. She wandered through the always-busy airport crowd until she reached the parking lot and headed home, tossing her keys on the dresser when she walked through the front door.

At first, it was great. She truly felt like an adult for the first time in her life. But as the days went by, she started to get lonely. The house was so quiet without her father here, and it caused a chill to run down her spine; this was the first time that she was separated from her father for so long. To get her mind off of it, she grabbed her latest book that she had brought home with her the day before and settled into a comfy chair in the living room. As was her ritual, she flipped to the very last page of the story to read the last paragraph before she started reading from the beginning.

"...and as he led her in a waltz across their ballroom, she knew in her heart that in his arms is where she belonged, and the story of their love would never cease to be told." Belle read out loud. Her eyes half-closed at the dreamy-ness of the love story of a feisty young woman who fell in love with a prince who was under a spell, and only through her kindness was she able to break it. Belle ran her fingers down the page. It was a story that she had read a thousand times and by some miracle she found it in the bookshop, and Martha had given it to her to thank her for all of her hard work.

Just as she was really getting into the book, the doorbell rang.

"Who the heck can that be?" She set her book down lovingly and went over to the window to see who it was. She could hardly believe her eyes.

"Trevor?" She whispered. Her stomach did a turn and she felt like she was going to be sick. Trevor was standing on her doorstep dressed in an (obviously) expensive suit holding flowers in his hands. There was a mariachi band with him, tuning their guitars. _Talk about corny_, Belle thought as she saw him look around behind him and made a motion with his arm and it looked like he was hissing at someone. Belle followed his gaze and saw a few of Trevor's friends hiding in their cars and LeFou hiding behind a tree in her front yard. Was he serious? He was actually that confident that he was going to get a date with her that he brought his friends along just to prove it? Maybe if Belle was very quiet, he would think she wasn't home. Trevor rang the doorbell again as LeFou indicated to the window she was looking through.

_Uh oh_, Belle thought, _what do I do? I can refuse to let him in, but he would probably just come back the next day. Or I can let him in, but there's no one home so if he goes too far I'm basically helpless. _She sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair, pacing back and forth in the entrance. She looked at the door, took a deep breath and opened it.

"Trevor. What a pleasant surprise." She said, trying to hide the disgust in her voice.

"Isn't it though? I'm just full of surprises," He stepped into her house, leaving the door wide open as if inviting the whole neighbourhood to hear. "You know Belle, there's not a girl in town who wouldn't love to be in your shoes. This is the day…" he stopped in front of a mirror to make sure his hair was straight and to check if there was anything in his teeth. He wanted this to look good. "This is the day your dreams come true."

"Huh," Belle said, crossing her arms. "What do you know about MY dreams, Trevor?"

"Plenty!" Trevor exclaimed as he flopped down on the couch and putting his feet on the coffee table and right on top of her book. He had tossed the bouquet onto the opposite couch and motioned for her to sit beside him, but she warily stood close enough but not far enough to smell his unusual brand of cologne. The smell was so strong that her nostrils stung and she had to hold her nose for fear that she might faint. "A dimly lit restaurant, then maybe a drive in my car and a beautiful girl sitting happily in my lap as we watch the city from Outlook Point. We'll probably stay out until oh, two or three AM." Trevor watched her react, hiding her face from seeing her blush no doubt, and she bent down to get her book from under his feet. As she did so, she unknowingly gave him a full view of her cleavage and Trevor's lips suddenly felt very dry.

"Imagine that." Belle murmured, turning away.

"And do you know who that 'beautiful girl' is gonna be?"

"Let me think," _As if I didn't know_, Belle thought. She was at the bookshelf, putting the book away before he could do some real damage to it. She made herself look busy by reorganizing a certain section, trying not to seem like she was paying attention. Her eyes widened when she felt his hot breath on her neck.

"You, Belle."

Belle whipped around and found Trevor's nose practically touching hers with his arms on either side of her head, making it seem impossible to escape. Her eyes darted around as she frantically looked for a way to get away. The smile on his face grew wider as he realized that he would finally get her to say yes, as he leaned in closer, making his head eye-level with hers. _This is it_, Trevor thought,_ baby I've got you now. _But before he could make a move, Belle darted under his arm and ran to the other side of the living room.

"Trevor I'm…I'm speechless. I really don't know what to say." That was the truth. She had brushed him off so many times that it was impossible to think that he wanted to go out with her that badly. But she read enough _Cosmo _articles to know when a guy wanted more than he was letting on. She watched him as he strode towards her across the room with a semi-psycho, semi-"I'm the shit" look on his face. This is when Belle began to panic. He caught up with her as she ran to the front door and stood there, trying to calculate the situation.

"Say you'll go out with me." He demanded.

"I'm very sorry Trevor, but…but…" she stared at him, bewildered. "I just don't deserve you." He pounced in her direction but she moved out of the way by sheer reflex and he landed face-down in the slush on her front porch. For a split second she just stood there watching him, then she quickly slammed the door.

Trevor lifted his face from the ground. It was half covered in slush and his suit was a complete mess. The mariachi band (whom he hired to sing as soon as he came out the door) began blaring out an old Mexican song but stopped when they saw he was alone and obviously shunned. Trevor heard the door open behind him and he turned to see Belle throw the bouquet out which landed in the thin layer of snow beside him and slam it again, leaving him flabbergasted. LeFou ran up to him, trying not to crack.

"So…how'd it go?" Trevor looked over LeFou's shoulder to see his football buddies laughing hysterically in their cars, horns honking and mocks being hurled at him. His face grew red and LeFou was too busy laughing along with the guys to notice that Trevor had gotten up and had pulled LeFou up by the shirt-front so he was directly at eye level.

"She WILL go out with me. Make no mistake about THAT," and he threw LeFou down into a snowdrift. As he advanced to his car while wiping the filth off his face, he turned to his friends.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?" They stopped laughing immediately and cowered in their seats as watched him speed away. LeFou's head emerged from the snowdrift and walked to the nearest BMW, shaking off the snow.

"Touch-y."


	7. I've Got No Time for This Right Now

The time alone went by slowly for Belle. She tried to avoid Trevor at all times and spent most of her days with Lenny, Charlie and Lia (with whom she had been growing close with). She expected a call from her father any day, letting her know when to meet him at the airport so she could bring him home. She didn't hear from him at first, and thought he was just busy. But when Maurice didn't call after a whole week, Belle began to get worried.

"This isn't like him," Belle told Lia when she came over. The girls arranged a little sleepover so Belle wouldn't feel alone and on the plus side, she would have backup if Trevor ever came back. "I'm getting scared Lia."

"He's probably just busy, Belle. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, but I have to admit it is a little weird."

"A little?" Belle nearly yelled as she stood up to pace the room. "He practically called or texted me since the minute he arrived there but now I haven't heard from him at all! I just want to know what's going on!" At that minute the phone rang. Both girls stared at it for a moment before Lia nudged Belle to pick it up.

"H-Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Miss Annabelle Stock?"

"Yes, this is she. Can I ask whose calling?"

"This is Dr Milton. I'm just calling to inform you that your father was in an accident on his way back to his hotel from a meeting." Belle's breath caught in her throat.

"Is he...is he...Oh my god. Please tell me he's all right."

"He's doing better now, Miss Stock but he was in very bad shape earlier. I wanted to call you sooner, but he insisted that I didn't. He didn't want you to worry."

"I was worrying anyways! He should have known that!"

"Belle? Stop yelling at the doctor." A raspy voice said on the other end.

"Dad! Daddy, are you okay?"

"I'm fine sweetheart. Just a little banged up. I might stay in California longer than I expected." He chuckled, but started a fit of coughing. Belle had to bite on her finger to calm herself down.

"Dad, I'm coming there. I'll try and get a flight for tomorrow morning."

"No, no. I'm doing fine here and I'll be up and out in no time. You stay home and hold down the fort."

"Dad, don't argue with me, please? I'll be there as soon as I can. Just give me the information and I'll be on my way."

"Belle, you know I usually cave when you use your 'you can't stop me' voice, but I'm your father and I'm telling you to stay there. The doctors are good and they're doing the best they can to get me out of here healthy again. I don't want you missing any school. You have midterms coming up soon, don't you?"

"Yeah, next week. But I'm pretty sure they'll let me do them another day if I explain what happened..."

"No. You'll stay there and go to school. I'm halfway recovered anyways. Okay?"

"Are you _sure_ you don't want me to come there?"

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. I'll give you a call later on in the week. Be a good girl."

"I will Dad. Let me know if anything changes."

"Will do. Love you, princess."

"Love you too, Dad. Bye." Belle's hand shook as she put the receiver back into place. Lia looked at her with a mix of anxiousness and confusion.

"Well? What happened?"

"He...he was in an accident. He's in recovery right now, but he wants me to stay at home. I need to be there with him! Lia, what if he gets worse?" Belle collapsed onto the couch and Lia gathered her up into her arms.

"Belle, it's okay. Your Dad wouldn't tell you to stay home if it was anything serious, would he? The fact that he talked you is a really good sign. Don't worry. It'll be fine." Lia knew that the best thing for Belle to do was to cry it out, so she waited. But Belle was stronger than she looked; Lia was slowly finding that out and it didn't take long for her to pull herself together. She was laughing and joking around in no time.

"Why spend time worrying over something I can't control? He's in good hands and he promised to let me know if something happens. My father never breaks his promise."

"I can see you get a lot of your qualities from him, your hardheadedness for one." Lia laughed. Belle felt a little more at ease as the night moved along, but the thought of something bad happening to Maurice was still scratching at the back of her mind.

Midterms came and went, Belle going through each of them with little difficulty. Maurice called her at least every other day to give her an update on his condition, which made her feel much better about her not being with him. Also, he promised to be home by Christmas which made her nearly jump for joy. Even if he wasn't 100% healthy, at least she would have him home again.

* * *

Belle learned that Trevor and his family went away for the holidays (Lia told her they always left right after midterms) and she mentally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't need Trevor breathing down her neck, especially when there was no school to preoccupy his time. She wouldn't hold her breath though; something in her mind told her that Trevor would never give up.

About a week before Christmas, Belle was asked by Mr Klein to come see him after school. She worried all day and told her friends her thoughts.

"Do you think I'm in trouble? I haven't done anything wrong. At least, I don't think I did."

"Don't worry Belle," Charlie told her, reassuringly patting her hand. "He probably wants to talk about what a good job you did on the history paper. You got an A on it...I've never heard of that before. Mr Klein is the hardest grader in the school."

"Maybe he wants you, period," Lenny said while watching a redhead at the vending machine as she reached down to grab her pop.

"Lenny!" Lia gasped. She punched him on the arm and he quickly averted his gaze to Lia's disgusted one.

"AH! What the hell was that for?" he said, rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

"You perv! Do you know what you just said?"

"Yeah, and I'd say it again. Look at her! She's a stunner! Don't you ever notice the younger guy teachers looking at her as she walks by?" Belle blushed and fidgeted in her seat.

"Lenny, cut it out. You're right, Charlie. I'm sure it's nothing bad," Belle said. But she still had that feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she was going to throw up. It was always like that for her; whenever she got really nervous or worried about something she would suddenly get very nauseous.

The final bell rang and as all the students rushed to their cars or the bus stop, Belle made her way to Mr Klein's classroom. The nausea heightened as she turned the doorknob and entered the class, almost convincing herself that she was going to be sick on the spot.

"Belle, thank you for coming. Have a seat in one of the desks." She chose the desk directly in front of his and clasped her hands together in her lap tightly. Whatever he had to say, she wished he would get it over with.

"I'm surprised with your work. It's quite exceptional."He glanced at his watch. "I can't remember the last time I had such a brilliant mind in my class."

"Th-thank you, sir. History is one of my favourite subjects."

"I can see that." Again, he glanced at his watch. "It's refreshing to teach someone who already has such passion for this course. Which is why I have a favour to ask of you."

"Okay?"

"There's a student who requires a tutor, badly. He has it in him to excel in this class but he has no drive. With your help and zeal for this subject, maybe he can do as well as I know he can." Glancing at his watch once more, Mr Klein muttered, "Where is he?" The door opened and Mr Klein rose from his seat.

"Ah, glad of you to finally join us. Meet your new tutor, young man." Belle's eyes widened as she saw Adam sulk in, with a look of shock on his face when he saw her.

"Tutor? What the hell for?"

"First of all, Mr Hawthorne, do _not_ speak to me that way. Secondly, you know very well why; if you do not at least pass this course, you will not graduate." Adam looked at Belle and had a fleeting sheepish look on his face. She was the last person whom he wanted to know about that.

"Sir, I'm sorry but I don't think I can do this. I'm afraid Adam and I don't get along." She glanced back at him with a small annoyed look. There was _no way_ Belle was going to help him.

"Belle, it would mean a lot if you did this. I don't like any of my students failing, especially when I know they are as gifted as he is," Belle's face still held uncertainty. "You'll get extra credit in this course as well." Belle looked up at her teacher, seeing a softer side of him that surprised her. Getting the extra credit would boost her chances of getting on the honour roll and possibly getting a scholarship to a good college. But she couldn't work with Adam. She was already feeling her anger grow just by being in the same room with him. But she also didn't want to disappoint Mr Klein. He seemed sincere in his concern for Adam; he could let him fail if he really wanted to, but for some reason he wished for him to succeed. Her hands were tied.

"O-okay..."

"Excellent!" Mr Klein said as he clapped his hands together. "The sooner you start the better. I'll let you two make the arrangements." And he waved them off, once again his cool, aloof self. Belle walked out of the room first, Adam moping not far behind her.

"I...I guess we can start tomorrow." Belle said, as if in a trance.

"Yeah, I guess." Adam repeated, drearily. "Where do you want to meet?"

"We can meet at the library after school."

"Okay."

"Okay." And they went their separate ways.

It took Belle a while for what just happened to sink in. The cold air helped her out of her daze, and she grew angrier with each step she took on the way home. She threw her bag on the floor when she walked through the door and felt like smashing everything in the house. How could this have happened? If she had gone to be with her father instead of sticking around here, she wouldn't be in this mess. She couldn't help it now. She had made a promise and she didn't intend to break it; it wasn't in her character. She would help him, but that didn't mean she had to be happy while she was doing it.


	8. I Admit It's Getting Better

**AN:** Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing! This thing has finally gotten back on track, and I'm working on uploading these chapters as soon as I can. I'm not COMPLETELY happy with this chapter, but I can live with it. I hope it satisfies you! =)

**Disclaimer**: To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

Adam sat in the back of the library, away from everyone else. He pulled out a notebook and waited impatiently for Belle. He didn't like to be kept waiting.

He drummed his fingers on the table and peeked around the bookshelves to get a look at the door. She had said to meet after school. Classes ended at 3, so it shouldn't have been taking her this long to get here, especially when the campus was only a couple of blocks away. Adam scowled.

The look on her face when he walked into Mr Klein's room gave him knots in his stomach. It was only typical that a girl as beautiful as that would look at him with disgust. But in all honesty, what had he done to her? As far as he knew, he knocked her over and refused to apologize (a man had his pride). It was her fault that it had happened in the first place! His annoyance heightened with each passing second, until he finally saw Belle walk through the door.

Her face was pink from the cold wind, her hair a mess. She shook a light dusting of snow from the top of her head and her jacket as she spoke on her cell phone. Adam's heart softened as he thought he had never seen her look as pretty as she did just then, but he shook his head to get the idea out of his mind. No sense in dreaming about something that'll never happen.

She spotted him at the back of the room, sitting with a pencil twirling in his fingers. Her father was explaining to her what the doctor had told him about his condition, saying that he was well on his way to recovery. She ended the conversation as she made her way to Adam.

"Listen, I'm actually kind of busy right now but I'll definitely call you later, okay? Okay. Love you too. Bye."

"Who was that?" Adam asked suspiciously.

"My dad," Belle told him flatly. She just wanted to do what she had to do and then get out of here.

Silence.

"It's snowing outside?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, just started."

"Oh." Belle took out her books and laid them out on the table. The tension between them could be cut with a machete, let alone a knife.

"So," she began, "what exactly do you need help with?" Adam rolled his eyes and tossed his head to the side.

"I dunno. All of it?"

"…Okay. Where do you think we should start?"

"You're the tutor. Shouldn't you know?" he snapped at her. Belle knew that trying to tutor Adam wasn't going to be easy, but this was ridiculous.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, not really caring.

"Yeah, actually you did. Do you know what time it is? I was waiting forever!"

"Uh, class ended at 3."

"Yeah."

"And it's," Belle motioned to the clock, "3:15. You're mad at me for being 15 minutes late?"

"Exactly. I don't like to be kept waiting. You could've had that conversation with your dad later and besides, he's not that important. You have to focus on helping _me_."

"Firstly, I don't _have_ to do anything. I can easily go to Mr Klein and tell him that this isn't working out, which I knew from the start that it wouldn't. And secondly, I _had to_ talk to my dad. It was very important."

"Oh, yeah? Why? Does he need you to bring him his slippers and newspaper? What are you, Lassie?" Belle stared at Adam while speechless for a long time. He saw something in her eyes that grew by the second and would have scared anyone if it wasn't him. But he was a rock. He refused to let her win.

"That's it. I don't even know _why _I agreed to do this in the first place," she stood up, grabbing her books violently and shoving them in her backpack. "You can go to Mr Klein tomorrow and tell him to find you another tutor, because I can't do this. I gotta get out of here."

"Going home to Daddy? Jesus, he has you on the run doesn't he?"

"For your information, my dad's in California."

"Left you alone while he's having fun in the sun? That's great parenting right there."

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my father that way! What would you know about good parenting? Yours obviously didn't do a good job if you act like this!" The way his eyes widened showed Belle that she had hit a sensitive spot. She didn't care. He had pushed her over the edge. "You're a spoiled brat, you know? Not everything can go your way. Life is hard, so deal with it like everyone else!"

"Both of you, be quiet or get out of here!" The librarian shouted from behind them. Both Adam and Belle were taken aback. They obviously didn't know that they had been yelling. Belle's cheeks flushed red from embarrassment as she swept past the older woman and practically ran outside with Adam in hot pursuit.

"Hey, wait a minute. We're not done here!" He called after her.

"Yes we are. I don't know how you're friends with Charlie or Lenny or Lia, especially Lia! Is it because they knew you when you were younger? Is it because they're scared of you? I don't know. Lia tried telling me that once I got to know you, you're not so bad, that I should give you a chance. But after today, I don't want to get to know you. I don't want to have anything to do with you!" She realized she wasn't wearing her coat and aggressively put it on, along with her gloves and scarf and turned to walk away from him, but stopped and turned back around to face him. "Just so you know," she said in a quiet voice, "my dad's not having '_fun in the sun'_. He'd gotten into an accident there and he's in the hospital. I hope you feel better about yourself now."

Adam watched her as she turned away and left him standing there. He had a strange feeling where his heart was, a tugging feeling. She looked so sad when she told him that her father was in a hospital and he immediately regretted everything he said to her.

* * *

Belle stormed away from Adam in a blind rage. While giving in to the temptation to kick a rock or throw a stick, she kept her anger under control. She walked to work it off, and soon found herself in a part of town that she didn't really recognize. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, looking around.

"What is this place?"

Then she remembered. She and Lia were going to the movies a few weeks ago and they had to drive through the neighbourhood to run a quick errand. Belle saw at least 8 guys fighting in front of a convenience store when they were waiting at a red light and one boy with too many tattoos to count and a black hoodie stopped and looked at them. His face broke into a smile when he saw Belle and he motioned to his friends so they could look at her too. Belle sank deeper into her seat as she saw him approach the car, praying that the light would turn green. Once it did, she literally peeled out of the intersection and left the gang standing in the dust.

Belle shook off the memory as she started to walk again, this time making sure she was headed in the right direction. Suddenly, a figure appeared before her.

"Hey, baby. Where are you headed?" a male voice asked.

"H-home," she replied, her voice cracking. She looked up into his face and recognized the unforgettable smile that turned her blood cold. It was the same guy she saw last time, and he seemed to recognize her too.

"Look who it is; the one that got away. We're on our way to a little party. Why don't you come with us?"

"No. I have to go."

"C'mon. You know you want to, babe. I keep thinkin' about you since the last time I saw you." He took a strand of hair between his fingers and twirled it lightly. It was getting darker by the second and she could hardly see his face anymore, but she could feel him looking at her, almost stripping her with his eyes. She shifted her feet as she slapped his hand away, trying to make her voice sound brave.

"Don't touch me. Leave me alone."

"It looks like we need to teach you some manners. And I don't want to leave a fine thing like you out in this cold weather. Besides," he said hoarsely as he moved closer to her, "I know what we can do to warm ourselves up." Belle's eyes widened as she saw a glint of metal on what must have been a switchblade and frantically searched for a way out but the gang moved close, enclosing her in a tight circle. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her to the ground and as Belle struggled to get up, his friends held her down by the legs and arms while he straddled her.

"Oh, I know you're gonna like this," he said as he unzipped her coat and began unbuttoning her blouse. Belle closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face, silently praying for a miracle. But no one was around; no one was going to save her.

But then, just as she had abandoned all hope, the thug was thrown off of her. The rest of the group released her but her head was spinning and she couldn't move from the spot, as if they were still holding her down.

"What the fuck, man? What the hell are you tryin' to do?"

"Stay away from her," said a familiar voice. _Adam?_ Belle managed to look up and see that she was in between the gang and Adam, whose hands had balled into tight fists.

"Oh, we got a big man here. Is this your girl?"

"That's none of your business. Leave her alone," he gritted through his teeth. The thug laughed.

"What are you gonna do, big man? 'Cause, uh, there's six of us and one of you. You ain't thinkin' about fightin' are you?"

"I'll take my chances."

"Alright, then. Guys," the thug called to his friends, "Let's teach pretty-boy here not to mess with the Wolves."

What happened next was a blur of images to Belle. One of the guys lunged but Adam was much faster than he was. Adam grabbed a guy by the hood and tossing him into another guy, sending them both to the ground. Adam threw punches with such force that Belle had thought for sure one of the thugs felt like he had gotten hit by a truck. All of a sudden Belle saw a particular image of Adam with incredible clarity; he tossed the main thug into a tree and picked him up again by the front of his shirt as the thug cowered in front of him.

"If you or your friends _ever_ go near her again, if you ever even _look_ at her again then I swear to god…_I will kill you_." Even Belle was frightened at the tone of his voice, but nowhere near as scared as the thug must have been. He dropped him and Belle watched as the group ran off into the night as Adam turned to kneel beside her. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was exhausted, but there was also a speck of something more, a fleeting look of…anguish?

Then the world went black.

* * *

Belle saw a road ahead of her. She smelled the scent of pine; not the outdoorsy kind of pine, but the cheapo air-freshener kind of pine. She felt something holding her down…_a seat belt?_ She looked to the left of her and saw Adam behind the wheel of a car. _A very expensive car_, she noted. Memories came flooding back of the events that happened only moments before. She shifted in her seat and Adam briefly took his eyes off the road to look at her.

"You okay?" he asked. She sensed that he was trying to hide any sound of concern in his voice.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Yeah." They were back to small talk. "Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"No. They didn't do anything serious enough for me to go. I'm just in shock, I-I guess." Belle crossed her arms, but in doing so, she noticed her jacket was zipped up again. Adam must've…

"Do you want to go to the police station? File a report?"

"No. I don't think they'll be bothering me again. Or anyone else for a while."

"Okay." He didn't look at her when he answered and the rest of the ride home was in complete silence. The only sound was the silent purr of the car engine.

When he stopped in front of her house she was ready to thank him. But she remembered what he had said about her father, that he had angered her. She grabbed her things and walked to her front door, hearing him follow her. She turned to him to tell him off.

"Oh, my god!" Belle exclaimed.

"What? What?" Adam looked around confused. She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Look at your face! It's swollen, and your shirt is full of blood and…and dirt!" Adam looked in the reflection of the window with interest, poking at his cheek. He winced at the pain.

"You'd better come inside. I can fix that up for you."

"I can't. I'd better be going."

"Don't be stupid. Come in."

"No," Adam said with determination. Belle was fuming again that he refused to allow her to help. But then his eyes slightly rolled into the back of his head and he swayed a little while standing on her doorstep. She caught him and led him inside to the kitchen where she sat him down and grabbed a pack of ice.

"Hold this to your face." He obediently but reluctantly listened to her as she shrugged out of her coat and ran to get the first-aid kit. When she came back he was examining his knuckles, which were bruised and bloody. _His hands are going to puff up like balloons_, she thought. His black, worn leather jacket was bloody too. She helped him out of it and saw trickles of blood trailing to his hand from three large gashes on his forearm. She left the room to grab some extra cotton swabs from the bathroom and returned to see him licking his hand and using it to wipe the blood from his arm away.

"Here, don't do that." He looked up at her and at the iodine she held in her hand. He eyed her warily as she soaked a cotton swab with the medicine and darted his arm away when she tried to put it on his injury. When she tried to do it again, he did the same thing. This went on for about 10 minutes.

"Just...hold...still!" Belle pointed to the window to distract him and when he looked away she quickly placed the swab onto his cuts. Adam howled in unexpected pain.

"THAT HURTS!" he yelled practically into her face.

"Well, if you'd hold still it wouldn't hurt as much!" Belle countered.

"If you hadn't gotten into trouble with those guys, this wouldn't have happened!"

"If you hadn't pissed me off so much, I wouldn't even have been in that part of town!" she said. Belle crossed her arms and looked away from him, fuming. Adam was struggling of what to argue next.

"Yeah, well...well, _you _should have shown up on time!" He smiled smugly.

"And _you_ need to learn to relax and control your temper!" Belle shot back. Knowing she was right, though not admitting it, Adam sank lower in his chair as Belle took a deep breath and pushed her hair behind her ear. She took his arm and held up the cotton swab so he could see it.

"Now hold still," Belle muttered, "this might sting a little." She gently dabbed at the wounds while he groaned in pain, eyes tightly shut and grinding his teeth. "By the way, thank you," Adam opened his eyes and looked down at Belle, whose voice had turned very gentle. He was taken aback for a moment and forgot why she was thanking him. He had never heard her use that tone around him before. She glanced up at him with a small thankful smile. "For saving my life." She said it as if he suffered from short-term memory loss, which he did for a few minutes.

"Uh...you're welcome." She smiled again, and he held his breath as she wrapped his arm in a bandage and Adam then realized that they weren't fighting anymore; they were talking like normal people who didn't hate each other. The silence that hung in the air didn't hold any tension, or anger. It was...calm.

Maybe this could finally be their chance to start over.

* * *

**AN: **Everyone marvel (and laugh) at my attempt to write a fight scene!


	9. If You Don't Take Her Out Tonight

**AN:** Just a short, little chapter to get you thru the waiting. Things are starting to get into motion! Thanks to everyone who's been reading and/or reviewing =D

**Disclaimer**: To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

"What happened to you?" Lia practically screeched when she saw Belle the next day at school.

"Yeah, Belle. Are you okay?" Lenny asked with concern. Their eyes had widened in shock as they took in Belle's appearance; there was a bruise on her forehead and wrists, and a small cut on her neck just below her ear, and they immediately began asking questions. "You look like you took a tumble down a flight of stairs!"

"Guys, relax. I'm okay." Belle said as she gathered her books from her backpack. Her shoulder was sore and she was a bit bruised up, but other than that she felt fine. If Adam hadn't shown up, who knows what could've happened. She shivered slightly at the thought as she struggled to put her books on the top shelf of her locker, wincing at the pain when she saw a bandaged arm take her books and put them in place for her.

"Thanks Adam," she told him with a smile.

"No problem. How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday. How about you?"

"Good. Put a new bandage on this morning and it looks like its healing already."

"That's good." They were oblivious to the three people standing in front of them until Charlie coughed to get their attention.

"Adam, you know what happened to her? Why are you all cut up? Would one of you mind telling us what the hell is going on?" he said hotly.

"Yeah," Lenny chimed in, "and why you guys are best friends all of a sudden?" Belle and Adam looked at each other with small grins on their faces as they relayed the story of the night before to their good friends. Other kids who were walking by stopped to listen, but far enough to make it seem like they weren't eavesdropping. By the time lunch came around, the whole school was talking about what happened. They were all asking if Belle was alright and if she needed anything, while they treated Adam with more isolation than before. Anyone who beat up an entire gang with their bare hands (on their own turf no less) was someone you didn't want to say the wrong thing to, so they avoided him. Adam didn't seem to mind at all; he walked from class to class without anyone bothering him while Belle had a horde of people surrounding her everywhere she went often shooting him a look of annoyance whenever she saw him, but he just grinned as he shrugged his shoulders and told her, "Just be thankful it's Friday."

* * *

Belle poured herself a cup of coffee when she got to the bookstore the next morning to warm herself up. She had worn two sweaters that morning because it was so cold, but soon put away the extra one after ten minutes as she got used to the warmth of the store. Adam was going to meet her here when she was done with story time so they could get a proper study session in, hopefully not having it turn into another disaster like last time. When Martha had seen her, she nearly knocked her over.

"Belle! My goodness dear, are you all right? I heard what happened with you and that gang of ruffians the other night." Martha explained as gave her a tight hug. Belle grimaced at the pain and let out a heavy sigh of relief when Martha finally let her go.

"News sure travels fast in this town." Belle said, turning to rinse her cup.

"You should have called the police! They won't be so nice to you next time, you can be sure."

"There won't be a 'next time' Martha. Someone took care of them already."

"Who? Who, dear?" Belle was about to answer her when the children for story time started to show up and made their way to the reading area, Belle having to leave a very curious Martha alone with her questions.

"...and the princess and her prince lived happily ever after." Belle finished as she looked out at the small faces that were sitting patiently. Some of their parents had already shown up and they seemed to be just as into the story as their kids were; some were leaning against the wall, listening quietly, others had shown up early had taken seats and even ordered a cup of coffee or a pastry. She smiled as she closed the book and placed it on her lap and told the children that their parents were here to take them home, each one talking excitedly about the book. Chip was there, waiting for Lia to take him home but she was taking an unusually long time to get here today so Belle had treated him to a chocolate chip cookie and a cup of milk while he waited for here. When he was settled, she gathered the books from the reading circle and ventured to the shelves to put them back in place when she heard the door open and Chip's little voice chimed up.

"Hi!"

"Hey, buddy. How is it going?" Belle peeked through the bookshelf to see who Chip was talking to. It was Adam!

"I'm good. Wanna piece of my cookie? I can't eat it all...if I do I'll get a tummy ache." Belle was surprised when she saw Adam take a small piece of the cookie and eat it, but not before he secretly rubbed some chocolate on his lip and asked Chip if there was something of his face at which Chip started giggling like crazy. Belle never saw this side of him before; he was completely different with Chip than with anyone else almost...happy. She rushed to the back room to get her coat and scarf so she and Adam could leave as soon as Lia got there, not knowing that there was a small smile on her face.

Adam wiped the chocolate from his face and looked around.

"Is Belle still here, bud?"

"Yup. Do you need to talk to her?"

"We're going to study together."

"Why do you have to study?"

"Because my grades aren't good and Belle is going to help me do better."

"I think Belle's pretty. Do you think she's pretty?"

Adam hesitated. He knew that you had to be careful when you said things around kids at this age. "Yeah, I think she's very pretty."

"Why don't you be her boyfriend?" Adam stared at the little boy in shock.

"Uh...I don't think so, Chip."

"Why? Don't you like her? If you tell her you think she's pretty then she'll be your girlfriend."

Adam had to laugh at that. "It's not that simple buddy. But listen, you have to promise not to say anything about that to anyone, please? Promise me."

"Okay. Let's pinky swear. But I still think you should be her boyfriend." Adam shushed Chip as Belle came around the corner.

"Hi Adam," Belle took the empty plate and glass from the table and set them on the counter. "Lia's still not here? She was supposed to pick up Chip ten minutes ago."

"Lia's at home working on an essay, so she asked me to bring him home."

"Oh. Okay, well then I guess we can study tomorrow."

"Why don't you go to Adam's house? He's got a big house...and a big room just for studying!"

"The room is called a 'study', kiddo. You don't just use it to study. Besides, Belle doesn't want to-"

"Okay," Belle interrupted. "I mean, it doesn't make sense for you to drive all the way to Lia's house and then come all the way back here. I'll just go with you and then you can bring me home later." Adam didn't blink until Chip tugged on his sleeve and brought him back to reality.

"O-okay. Let's do that then."

"Great. Let me just get Chip's coat on and we'll get going." As she walked over to the coat rack Adam crouched down to Chip's level.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Adam eyed him warily. Chip shrugged his shoulders with a smile stretched across his face.

"Why?" Adam groaned.

"Because," Chip stated as he hopped down from his chair, "you're chicken."


	10. This Couldn't Be More Unexpected

**Disclaimer**: To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

"Whoa."

It was all she could say. From the minute Adam turned onto a private road to when he pulled into the driveway, Belle was amazed. She had never seen anything like it before, not even on those TV programs that show what celebrities' houses look like. Adam parked his car in front of the door and a valet came to park it for him, while Belle stood marveling at everything. The mansion looked almost like a castle, complete with turrets and ivy that climbed up the dark stone walls and there were even gargoyles with monstrous faces perched here and there as if guarding the property. Everything was dark and it seemed like there were dark clouds hovering above. _Funny_, Belle thought, _because it was sunny earlier_. The whole effect on the place was a bit frightening, she had to admit, but it was still beautiful in a strange way. She looked around to the side of the house and into the courtyard that had small stone benches covered in snow and short manicured bushes shorn of their leaves aligning the paths. But something amazed Belle even more than the house itself; all of the plants and greenery were bare except for the roses that grew in a patch in the centre of the courtyard. They were not in bloom, but even from where she was standing she could see the blood-red colour of them. It was as if the cold had frozen them that way, and they were beckoning Belle to go and touch them.

"It's a little gloomy right now because its winter, but in spring it's not so bad." Adam said, breaking her trance from the flowers. He followed her gaze to where she had been looking and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh. Those have always been like that, even before I was born so I'm told. I've never seen them in full bloom...not once. So," He motioned to the front door and Belle followed him, "what do you think?" There was amusement in his voice and Belle had to smile.

"It's incredible. How could I have missed this place?" Adam chuckled as he opened the large, dark wooden door and led Belle inside.

"We like our privacy."

Is it possible to have walked into a dream? Belle felt like she had when she saw the inside of Adam's home for the first time. She couldn't believe that something so beautiful even existed. The floors were made of a gold-coloured marble and two matching columns of the same marble stood by the staircase that had a railing that looked like it was made of gold. There was almost a glow to the room, and Belle wondered how it someone would even know what was real if they were standing where she was. And this was only the entrance! Adam lightly tugged on her arm and led her away from the dream room into a string of other rooms, each one seeming impossibly more beautiful than the last one until they were all one big blur. There wasn't enough time to see every single space in the house so he just settled on showing her the west wing of the house.

"I'm confused about something," Belle stated as they were finally making their way to the study. "No offense, but why are you so grumpy all the time?"

"What? I'm grumpy?" he said sarcastically.

"I'm serious. If you live in a place where you're constantly surrounded by beautiful things, how can you be so angry with everyone and everything?"

He didn't answer her, but instead opened the doors to a room that was draped in dark green velvet with a big cherry wood desk by a large window. There was a large fireplace lit on the other side of the room, and Adam's books were scattered on the floor in front of it. It looked so inviting that Belle forgot all about the question she asked and walked right in, placed herself in front of the fire and began searching through his various notes. She didn't notice he was still watching her from the door until a few minutes later.

"Are we going to start, or what?" she joked.

After a few hours or so of reviewing and studying, both Belle and Adam agreed that they needed a break. He left to get refreshments while she waited in the study and she sighed as soon as he closed the door. _What an amazing place_, she thought as she stretched put on the floor, _a little scary but amazing_. She inhaled and her nostrils filled with the heady scent of the burning wood from the fire, when suddenly her bladder gave her that familiar feeling indicating that she needed to go. She tried to ignore it at first, but it soon got so bad that she started to squirm and not bothering to wait for Adam to get back, she got up, opened the door and quietly made her way down the hallway. There were at least 20 doors in that wing of the house and no one was around to help her, so finding the bathroom was going to be a challenge. She opened each door only slightly to get a look inside, but none were the room she was looking for. When she reached the last door at the end of the hallway, she thought for sure she had finally found it.

Through the small crack of the door, she felt cool air on her face and there was only a single shred of light coming from what looked like a window with the curtains partially closed. Belle knew she shouldn't be there, but her curiosity was peaked when she saw something glinting in the almost total darkness and she opened the door wider and stepped inside. She was mesmerized by her new discovery, and began to make her way over to the window to let some more light in the room when she heard a cracking noise underneath her feet. She tried to maneuver to the side but the same thing happened. She finally reached the window and opened the curtains and gasped at what she saw.

The entire floor was covered in shards of broken glass and shredded paper. What once must have been expensive looking furniture was practically destroyed and the blanket on the large bed was torn to shreds, feathers lightly flying about. There were holes in the walls and she lightly traced over them with her fingers as she pushed some glass away with her foot and picked up different pieces of torn paper. On the other side of one that was still wholly together, there was a picture of a young Adam laughing in the arms of a much older man with dark grey hair. Although they looked completely different, they looked the same as well; they had the same masculine chin, the same strong forehead and large blue eyes. She almost didn't recognize him at first, mainly because she had never seen him smiling that much before. She grinned as she set the picture back in its place and her eye was caught by another one. This one had what looked like a family portrait. Adam and that older man were in it (she figured he must be Adam's father) and a woman with intense red hair and steel gray eyes whom she figured to be Adams mother. Everything about her looked perfect; her outfit, her hairdo, her makeup, her pose, everything. And her resemblance to Adam was uncanny; they had the same cold look to their face and Belle instantly got a bad vibe just by looking at her image. It gave her shivers.

"Find anything interesting?" Belle shot her head up and saw Adam standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. She stood up quickly (which made her a little dizzy) and stared at him.

"I'm so sorry. I was looking for the bathroom and I thought I saw something shining in this room. I didn't mean to snoop...I don't even know which room this is!" Belle half lied about that last part. She had a hunch it was Adam's room because of the pictures, but how could someone actually sleep in here? Her heart beat loudly as she awaited his wrath, but he was surprisingly calm.

"This is my room, or _was_ my room. I sleep in another room now because I kind of destroyed this one, as you can plainly see."

"_You_ did this? Why?" She watched him as he ran his hand through his hair and he brushed some feathers away and sat on the bed in front of her.

"I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Are these your parents?" She held up the picture to him, thinking she was changing the subject. Adam stared at the photo in her hand for a long time before he reached for it.

"If you can call them that. She left my dad when I was 13. She just walked out of my life...didn't even say goodbye to me. She didn't know I was listening when she told my dad that she was running off to Europe with another guy. When he brought up the subject of me, she told him that she was going to send me away to school somewhere eventually and she didn't really care if she never saw me again. I haven't heard from her since." Belle saw his knuckles turn white as his tone became angry. Not once did he reference to this woman as his mother.

"What about your dad?"

"Dad?" he chuckled, but there was no emotion in his voice when he spoke. "Dad's always going on business trips and stuff. He kind of ignores me now...I guess it's because he's busy with work."

"Was it always like that?"

"No. Me and my dad were always pretty close. I guess he kind of got depressed after she left." He got up and looked out of the window not turning back to look at her. "I haven't looked out of this window in a long time," He spoke now with a far away voice, "It's kind of like I grew up with a lie surrounding me for my whole life. There I was, thinking I had it great. Then everything just fell apart in the blink of an eye. That woman who I had called 'mom' for the first 13 years of my life was never there for me, just like my dad isn't here for me now. I've never had anyone that could say that they loved me, or even cared a little.

"I don't know my parents, I don't know anything except that no one cared then and no one cares now. I could be dead and no one would even notice I was gone." Adam turned to look at her finally, and saw her sitting at the edge of the bed, her large brown eyes glazed with unshed tears. He stared at her for a moment, wondering why he was pouring his heart out to her and thinking why she hadn't stopped him. "Sorry. You don't want to be hearing about my sad life." He said as he leaned his back against the window and crossed his arms again, casting his eyes downwards. He heard her get off the bed and move towards him and place her small hand on his arm.

"People do care for you, Adam. Don't you ever think that you aren't surrounded with love, because you are."

"Oh yeah? Prove it." He challenged. She looked at him with determination.

"Lenny and Charlie care. Lia cares. Chip _adores_ you! I can also tell you care about him too."

"Yeah," Adam smiled a little at the thought. "I love that little guy."

"Even Mr Klein cares about you! Do you think he would have forced me into tutoring if he didn't care? Open your eyes, Adam. People care about you...and that includes me too." He was startled at what she revealed. Belle was the first person to actually tell him what they felt for him, whereas with everyone else he assumed their feelings were a given. Adam turned to look into her eyes to see any hidden meaning, but saw only truth in them. She wasn't just saying these things to make him feel better, she had actually meant it. He had to keep from breaking down at her feet when she smiled up at him, the ice around his heart beginning to melt away. _She sees me as me_, he thought, _and she doesn't care_. For the first time in his life, Adam felt like a whole person.

Someone had finally been able to see the man beneath the Beast.

* * *

"Guys, I have a problem," Adam told Lenny and Charlie when they sat at lunch Monday morning. They immediately noticed a change in Adam's behaviour; he was actually smiling in public and there was something in general about his manner that was different. "I think things are changing."

"I'll say," Charlie told him, "you're actually eating your food like a human being today."

"What's the matter?" Lenny asked.

"Well, it has to do with Belle. But before I say anything I want you two to know that if either of you repeat what I say, I'll break your necks. Got it?" The two friends across from him gulped and nodded in understanding. "Okay. Well, whenever I'm with her there's a tugging where my heart is and I can't really think straight. I'm thinking about her all the time lately and …I think I'm starting to get feelings for her." Lenny and Charlie exchanged knowing glances and smiled. "I've never felt this way about anyone before." Adam said softly, more to himself than the other two. It was true; Adam felt things for Belle that he never even thought he was capable of feeling for another person.

"Adam, you have no idea how great that is!" Lenny exclaimed. Being the romantic that he was, Lenny always suspected something was blooming between them. "Does she feel the same way?"

"She told me that she cares about me, but I know that it's just as a friend." He told them, slightly disappointed. Even thought things between them had been getting better, he knew he'd never have a shot in hell to be with someone like her.

"That's a start, I guess." Lenny said approvingly, "But you can't expect her to fall in love with you overnight. You have to kind of court her, make her see the guy that you want her to see."

"I'm not expecting her to 'fall in love' with me. It's just that she's done so much for me lately, with helping me with school and stuff. I want to do something for her, but I don't know what."

"Well," Charlie piped up while clearing his throat, "there are the usual things you can give her. You know, flowers or chocolates-"

"No, no! Shut up Chuck, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Let the expert handle this. Belle is different; she's smart and creative. She deserves something that'll spark what she's interested in, something really special. What do you know about her, Adam? Is there anything in particular that she likes or does?"

"Well," Adam thought out loud, "I noticed she likes to read a lot…she spends all of her time in the bookstore even when she's not working there. Or she's at the library."

"I've got it!" Lenny exclaimed.

* * *

**AN: **I'll leave you to guess what they came up with. ;)


	11. There's A Side to You That I Never Knew

**AN:** Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with this story. This is just a short chapter to get you guys thru the night (or at least until the next one is up). Not my strongest work, but enjoy nonetheless! =)

**Disclaimer**: To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

The sun shone brightly and glistened off of the newly fallen snow from the night before as Adam turned his car into what he thought was going to be a quiet street on Christmas morning. How very wrong he was.

The road was nearly congested with people busying about. There were kids already trying out their brand new hockey sticks and wearing their new hockey jerseys, kids with toboggans sliding down a makeshift hill and some teens preparing for a massive snowball fight. Adam was shocked; it was only 10:30 am and people were acting like it was the middle of the afternoon! He pulled into Belle's driveway and immediately broke into a sweat. He wiped his clammy hands on his jeans and pulled his worn coat closer to his body. He was crazy to be doing this; she was probably busy with family or something and wouldn't have time for him. Adam flung his head back on the headrest and sat there with his eyes closed, contemplating on whether he should go home or take a chance and stay. His thoughts went to a dream he had the night before.

"_Hi Belle," he had said to her, "I have something for you."_

"_A present, for me?" her eyes shone with anticipation and excitement as she opened it and let out a small squeal at her discovery. "You really shouldn't have. This is so sweet of you!" _

"_It's nothing; just a thank you for everything that you've done." He gazed at her glowing face while she looked over her gift. He placed his hand in hers and she turned to look up at him. "You've changed my life, Belle." She lifted her hand and began stroking his cheek, her soft fingertips running over the thin layer of stubble as she smiled at him. _

"_Adam," she said softly, in a whisper. He lifted his hand and mimicked what she was doing to him and she leaned into his touch with a sigh. She held his gaze as she took his hands and placed them around her waist and then put hers on his shoulders. _

_As if a magnet was pulling him, he lowered his face toward hers and saw her eyes close as she sensed what he was going to do. There was a single breath between their lips._

"_Belle," he breathed, as he leaned in closer…_

Then he woke up.

He tried in vain to make himself fall asleep again so he had to settle for replaying the moment he had with her, even though he knew it was all in his mind. Sitting in his car now, was convinced that he would sell his soul to make that dream come true, to be able to take Belle in his arms and tell her everything that he felt for her. After talking with Lenny and Charlie (and going around the park a few times) he came to the realization that he didn't just care for Belle, he had completely fallen in love with her. Why shouldn't he? She's smart, beautiful, sweet…the kind of person who was now bringing out the best in him when all anybody could see before was the beast.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his window that startled him and made him jump in his seat. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Belle standing on the other side of the car door with her long brown hair in a messy bun and wearing a thick, dark grey robe. She smiled at him as she motioned for him to step out of the car and, still in a bit of a shock, he obeyed robotically. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she shuffled her Ugg-covered feet, her red pyjama pants tucked inside them.

"Hi, Adam!" Belle smiled warmly as he stood staring at her.

"Merry Christmas, Belle." She was looking up at him, her cheeks turning pink from the wind.

"Belle? Where did you run off to?" a voice from inside the house called.

"I'm out on the driveway." Adam looked to the front door and saw a stout man in a wheelchair with a cast on his leg looking at him with interest.

"Well, who do we have here?" Maurice asked Belle with a gleam of curiosity in his eye. Adam crossed over to the door and shook the older man's hand.

"Dad, this is Adam Hawthorne. He's a friend that I also happen to be tutoring."

"Adam? Are you the Adam that saved my little girl…?"

"Daddy!" Belle gently chided, "Please, doesn't embarrass him. It was partly my fault anyways; I should've been paying attention to where I was going."

"It was nothing, sir. And it was actually _my_ fault. I should've been more understanding instead of the hard-headed pig that I am."

"Don't be silly," Belle said with a coy smile, "you aren't a pig."

"What about 'hard-headed'?" he asked, his eyebrow cocked up.

"Oh, you are still very much that." The trio of them laughed and Maurice took his daughter aside to whisper in her ear. Adam watched her as she smiled and turned back to him.

"Adam, would you like to join us this morning?"

"Huh? No, I don't want to impose. You two probably have a lot of catching up to do anyways…and I would just be in the way."

"Oh, come on. I'm making my special Christmas morning pancakes-"

"Some damn good pancakes they are, too," Maurice said as he licked his lips.

"…and even though you manage to pack them away there's always some left over!" Belle lightly teased her father. "I can't eat the rest by myself, so I need your help. Please stay, Adam?" He knew what his answer was going to be even before he said it. If she kept on looking at him the way she did, he would do anything she asked him to do. One look into her doe-eyes and he was like putty in her hands.

"Oh…okay."

"Great! Come on in and make yourself comfortable while I finish the pancakes." She waited for him as he shuffled out of his coat and his boots and made her way to the kitchen as he gave himself a tour of the first floor. He never really had the chance to look at her home when he was there the night she was attacked, so he drank in the view.

Her house was comfortable. Not too big, but not too small; just right for Belle and her father. A large fireplace painted in white roared in the living room with two large matching bookshelves on either side. The couches were a beige colour with a red and white blanket draped over one of them. A tree stood in the corner beside the bay window, shreds of wrapping paper still lying on the floor. It reminded Adam of his purpose for visiting Belle and turned to face her as she walked in the room, telling her that he'd be back in a second. When he returned, he was carrying a large box wrapped in green and gold paper with a gold bow topping the present.

"What is that?" she asked, eyes widening in curiosity.

"It's a surprise, for you." He placed the gift in front of her as she sat on the couch and ran her fingers over the shiny paper. "Open it." With eagerness, she tore through the paper and opened the box to find…

"A complete set of Shakespeare's plays?" she exclaimed happily. She picked up each book and examined them, laying them back in the box as if they were fragile objects. To her, they were; it was like she was given a piece of heaven. "You really shouldn't have. This is so sweet of you!"

Adam was taken aback for a moment. Those were the exact same words she said to him in his dream. He felt his cheeks burning as he mentally dared himself to say the words he spoke.

"It's nothing; just a thank you for everything that you've done." She looked up at him when he said it, her eyes holding the same warmth as she did in his dream. "You…you-" he stammered.

"Yes, Adam?" Belle pressed. Something in the way he looked at her made her feel like there were butterflies in her stomach. She saw him take a deep breath and look away. He had to look away, to get his thoughts together. He couldn't concentrate; he ignored the pounding heart in his chest that told him that she was starting to have feelings for him, that she could actually love him. That could never happen in reality. _But then again_, he thought, _she's never looked at me that way before_.

"Belle, you've cha-"

"Doggone-it!" Maurice yelled from the dining room, spoiling the moment. "Belle! The stove!" Belle's nose perked up in the air and smelled smoke from the kitchen and she dashed out of the room in a panic. She didn't need a fire to break out on Christmas morning. When all was clear, she returned to the living room and gave Adam an apologetic smile.

"Well, unless you want to wait for another batch, and that'll take a good 30 minutes, you have a choice between charred pancakes or toast."

"No pancakes?" Maurice said in mock devastation as he rolled into the living room. "You never burn your pancakes, Belle. What happened?"

"I…I guess I was too caught up in the surprise that Adam gave me. Look," she told her father as Adam watched on. Belle looked up at him and smiled again. What she said was only half of the truth; she didn't know why, but the way Adam had looked at her before made her heart flutter a little. Even thinking about it now brought a blush to her cheeks. She had seen something in his eyes that she had never seen before. It was like she was staring into his soul. It was as if she had caught the first glimpse of spring after an eternity of winter.

And she felt her heart swell with joy.


	12. There's Not A Thing That I Would Change

**AN: **Thanks to everyone who have been so patient and also to those who've reviewed. This chapter is not my greatest; my heart wasn't completely in it while writing it because I've been so busy. I'll promise to deliver in the next chapter. Shit will go down...just be warned.

**Disclaimer: **To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

"Napoleon returned to France after he invaded Egypt. What important artifact did he bring with him and what was its significance?*****" Belle read aloud in the noisy cafeteria during lunch. A history test was scheduled for the next day and she was helping Adam study. If he passed this test, he would pass the course. Adam opened his mouth to answer the question but a voice coming from behind him made him stop.

"Can you believe that prom is in less than two weeks?" Lia exclaimed as she sat down. The boys looked up at her briefly, the looks on their faces showed that they could care less.

"Are you going with anyone?" Belle asked. Lia put her arm around Charlie's shoulders and he blushed at the gesture.

"Good ol' Charlie. He finally admitted to having a crush on me after all these years." Charlie smiled a small smile and blushed even deeper. "I have to go find a dress this weekend. You want to come with me, Belle?"

"Well, I don't even know if I'm going to go."

"What? Why not?" Lia asked.

"No one's asked me to go."

"I find that _very_ hard to believe, Belle. Hasn't Trevor been breathing down your neck trying to get you to go with him?" Lenny remarked. He himself was going with a tall brunette named Barbie who he had 'had his eye on' for a long time.

"I made sure that it got around to him that I wasn't going. I mean, I do want to go, but not with him," Belle said. "I'll be right back guys. Washroom," she whispered to Lia as she stood up and walked away from the table. As soon as she was out of earshot, Lia turned to Adam.

"When are you going to ask her?"

"What?" He was taken completely off guard.

"When-are-you-going-to-ask-Belle-to-prom?" Charlie enunciated each word as if Adam was hard of hearing.

"I'm not going to."

"Are you stupid?" Lia exclaimed. Adam rolled his eyes at her.

"I don't want to be seen at prom. It's just a stupid excuse for girls to try to outdo each other by seeing who has the most expensive dress and guys only see it as their last chance to get laid. It's sickening."

"Yeah, but…don't you want to tell her how you feel?" Lia asked softly. Adam ran his fingers through his long hair in frustration.

"Obviously, I do!"

"Then what's the problem? You and her, music, romantic candlelight and then as soon as the moment is right, you confess your love for her. It would be perfect," Lenny exclaimed, his hands on his heart. Adam rolled his eyes.

"I'm scared. Why would she want to be seen with me anyway? She's…she's…"

"She's coming this way," Lia whispered. Adam looked up and saw Belle walking towards them with one of her eyebrows raised.

"What are you guys talking about?" She didn't seem completely convinced when they told her that it was nothing, but she shook it off. "Adam, can I talk to you for a second?" Adam's eyes nearly bulged out of his head and he glanced at his friends as if they knew what she wanted to talk to him about, but they seemed just as surprised as he was.

They walked down the hallway in silence, neither of them saying a word or even looking at each other. Adam's mind was racing; what the hell was she thinking about? Just when he thought he couldn't stand the suspense any longer, she spoke up.

"Adam, you and I have gotten really close over these past few months and I feel like you're one of my best friends. That's why I want to ask you something." Adam felt his mouth go dry and his throat tighten up as she moved to stand in front of him, looking up at him with her beautiful brown eyes.

"Do you want to go to the prom with me?"

_Wha—What did she just say?_ Adam thought as a flash of white light appeared in his mind, making him unable to move. He stood and stared at her, immobile. _I must've heard wrong._

"Listen, I have this feeling that you might be against the whole prom thing but I'd really like to go. And I'd rather go with someone I know instead of someone like Trevor," she shuddered at Trevor's name. "Not that you were my backup choice or anything, because you're not. And well, since Lenny and Charlie are both taking other people and the two of us are left to go together…No! That's not the reason why I'm asking you!" Belle could've smacked herself for babbling. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She shook it off, taking a deep breath. "We'll go as friends, it'll be fun."

There it was again, that look. How could he say no?

"Sounds great," he heard himself squeak. Her eyes lit up and he felt like doing back flips down the hallway after she waved goodbye to him saying something about having to look for a teacher. He walked back to the lunch table in a daze where his friends were anxiously waiting for him to come back.

"So? What happened?" Lenny asked.

"She…she asked me to prom."

* * *

"Adam, hold still!" Lenny said. He was trying to get Adam's tie right.

"Are you trying to suffocate me? It's too tight, man!" Adam said, struggling to get out of Lenny's grasp.

"There, done. Take a look at yourself, my friend." Adam turned away from the other boy and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Is that _me_?" Adam asked aloud. He didn't recognize his reflection. It wasn't him, it was a completely different person; his hair was shorter, but still long (he refused to cut it short, even though Lia pleaded with him) and he was wearing a tailored black suit and matching shoes with a deep blue satin vest and a gold tie atop a crisp white shirt. A red rose was pinned to his lapel. He looked…great.

"I knew you would clean up nice. Belle is never gonna know what hit her."

"Do you think so?" He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and shook Lenny's hand. "Thanks Lenny. You guys really helped me out."

"Hey, anything for a friend," Lenny said proudly as he turned to check his own tie in the mirror. They were at Adam's house getting ready while Charlie had already gone to meet Lia and Barbie at Belle's house. Adam and Lenny would take their own cars there to pick up their dates so they could all to prom at the same time. A phone rang and Adam ran to the end table to get it.

"Hello?"

"Adam? Where are you?" Charlie's voice inquired from the other end.

"We're just about to leave. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is _fantastic_. Oh my god," Charlie exclaimed in a whisper, "wait 'till you see her!" Adam's heart leapt into his throat. Before he could ask if he meant Lia or Belle, Charlie hung up the phone with an excited giggle.

"We'd better get a move on," Adam told Lenny as he grabbed Belle's corsage. "Charlie's gonna have a fit."

They arrived at Belle's house with just enough time to spare before heading out to the main event. Adam pulled at his tie, feeling smothered. His hands were trembling as he rang the doorbell.

"Adam, come on in! Charlie's in the living room and the girls are helping Belle with some last minute touches," Maurice said, his round face flustered. He obviously wasn't used to having this much of a commotion in his house. They walked in and found Charlie sitting on the couch with his handkerchief in his hands, twisting it nervously.

"Thank god!" He cried when he saw them.

"Belle! Your friends are here!" Maurice called to the top of the stairs. Adam turned as he heard giggling and the sound of a door being opened. Barbie descended the stairs first, in a tight black dress that went to her knees and a white sash tied at the waist. Her black hair was in a high bun at the top of her head, and her green eyes searched the room for Lenny, whom she immediately ran to and embraced. Lia was next, wearing a flowy chiffon dress that was made up of three tones of purple. Her short blonde hair was pushed out of her eyes by a silver headband with (fake) diamonds. She shyly moved to Charlie and took a hold of his arm with a quick glance at Adam, who was watching the stairs nervously.

When Belle came into view, Adam was sure his heart stopped. She was wearing a form-fitting sleeveless yellow dress draped to the floor. It was completely covered in gold embroidered flowers, and her dainty feet were covered in matching flats (Adam remembered her saying that she refused to wear heels because she didn't want her feet to hurt tonight). Her hair was done in long romantic curls with a gold hair comb holding it in a half-updo. Small gold earrings adorned her ears and a simple gold bracelet was on her left wrist. She smiled at Adam, who stood gaping at the beautiful girl before him.

"Hi. You look great," she said in a soft voice.

"You…you look beautiful." She pushed a loose curl away from her face and blushed. He held out the box with her corsage and she blushed deeper as she opened it.

"They're lovely. Thank you," she held out her wrist and he stared at it, confused. "Do I have to put it on myself?" she teased lightly. It was his turn to blush as he slipped the corsage onto her wrist, the red roses standing out from her ensemble and matching his boutonniere perfectly. They realized they had been the only ones talking and turned to look at the rest of the people in the room.

"Well, you guys don't want to be late. Have a great time!" Maurice said as he ushered them out, giving Belle a quick kiss on the cheek. He waved goodbye as the trio of cars disappeared down the street, smiling with pride at how beautiful his daughter looked; like the princess he knew she was.

The banquet hall was filled with people by the time they arrived. After each of them stood to take their prom photo, they made their way to their table where they enjoyed a fantastic meal. As the night progressed, Adam felt like he was actually having a good time (though he would never admit it to anyone). People were shocked to see him there, more shocked to see who he had shown up with as his date. Lefou gaped when he saw the couple and immediately reported to Trevor.

"Gaston! You will not believe who Belle showed up with tonight!" he said, gasping.

"Belle's here? I thought she wasn't coming tonight," he looked around the hall and smiled when he saw her, looking as fine as ever. When he saw her run up to Adam Hawthorne and fix his boutonniere, he jolted out of his seat. "What the hell? She's with the Beast?" He couldn't believe his eyes. Why would she go with that freak when she could have been on his arm tonight? All those times when he had asked her out and kept refusing…had she really meant it?

Adam was sitting at the table watching Belle dance with Lia and Barbie to a popular dance tune, not realizing that he himself was tapping his foot. Belle caught his eye and smiled at him, her face flushed from dancing. She ran back to the table, taking the seat beside him.

"Whoo! It's hot out there," she said as she fanned herself.

"Having a good time?" Adam shouted, trying to make himself heard over the pounding music.

"I'm having a blast! I'm so happy you agreed to come with me," she said as she reached over and touched his hand. She felt a vibration coming from her purse, and figuring it was her dad calling to check up on her, she went outside. After a brief conversation, she was about to make her way back to the party when suddenly, Trevor appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey, Belle. I thought you weren't coming tonight," Trevor said, putting on his seductive face.

"I wasn't, but I changed my mind."

"So I see. I also see that you've shown up with the Beast…what's up with that?" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"His name is Adam, and I showed up with him because I wanted to."

"Oh come on Belle, are you nuts? He should be out howling at the moon! He's like a wild animal; he'll turn on you in a second."

"Can you stop talking about him like that? He's not vicious or angry or anything like that at all. I got to know him, and we've gotten really close. He's my friend," Belle said with affection. Trevor grabbed her arm in a tight grip, angrily.

"It sounds to me like you'd want to be more than _friends_ with that monster."

"There's only one monster I know, Trevor. And I'm talking to him," Belle retorted angrily as she shook free from his grasp. She ran to her table where Adam was still sitting and grabbed his sleeve.

"Adam, do you think we can go? I'm not feeling too good."

"Okay. I'll let Lia and the guys know," Adam said. Within a few minutes he returned and they walked together to his car and sped off. They didn't notice the crowd of angry teenagers that followed them outside, led by the fuming Trevor Gaston.

"If I can't have her, no one can," he muttered under his breath. The Beast was gonna pay.

* * *

***** The artifact Napoleon Bonaparte brought back with him from Egypt was the Rosetta Stone. It helped scholars translate Egyptian hieroglyphics. (I've been reading a lot of Bonaparte bios so that's why it's used so much in the story)


	13. We'll Make It Through

**Disclaimer: **To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

* * *

Adam looked at Belle worriedly. Something had happened while she was talking to her father, and she was obviously bothered by it. He immediately thought it was bad news.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, briefly taking his eyes off of the road to look at her. "You seem upset. Is there something wrong at home?"

"No, Dad's fine," she assured him. "Trevor just pushed it too far again."

"He followed you outside? Why didn't you call me so I could tell him to get lost?"

"I told him so myself," Belle said proudly. "Anyways, I don't want to talk about him anymore, he's not worth it. Sorry about making you leave the prom so early."

He shrugged. "There were too many people around for me to have fun, anyways."

More silence.

"The lights in the park are still on," Belle remarked as they passed the large grassy area. At this time of night, it was completely deserted. "There's no one around. Let's park and get some air." Adam pulled into the parking lot, turned off his car and followed Belle to a worn wooden picnic table. They sat for a long time, gazing at the stars overhead. Adam's neck hurt after a while and as he was massaging it, his eyes fixed on Belle's profile; her eyes were focused on the sky with a wistful expression, as if she longed to go above and beyond them. Still looking at the stars, she spoke,

"Ever since I can remember, people expect me to be a certain way because of the way I look: find a rich husband, have six or seven kids and live in luxury. But I don't want that; there's so much I want to see and do...so much I want to be. But no one believes me when I tell them that I'd give anything to get out of here and actually do something with my life." Her voice was thick with emotion and Adam was taken aback. He didn't think she had any problems; people like Belle don't have issues like this. It hurt him to see her so vulnerable instead of the strong girl he had come to love.

"You can do anything you want to. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise," he said as he laid his hand on hers. She gave him a small smile.

"Hey, we never danced at prom," she said as if it suddenly dawned on her.

"Nope."

"Well, we can dance now."

"Nope."

"Please," she said, pouting her lower lip prettily. "There's no one here. And didn't you used to go to all sorts of fancy-schmancy dances when you were younger? I bet you know how to waltz and everything!"

"It's been a long time since I've danced that way." She hopped down and held out her hand to him, which he reluctantly took (seeing as how she wouldn't take no for an answer) and led him a little a ways from the table.

"Belle, what are you doing?"

"What? I've seen enough movies to know how to do this. Give me your left hand." She raised it to her shoulder level. "Okay, now the right one." She took it and placed it gently on her back as Adam gulped down air that seemed to be choking him. She placed her right hand in his extended one and encouraged him as he shuffled his feet.

"I think we need some music," she said, pulling away from him and putting her hands on her hips.

"Your iPod is in my car; you forgot it at my house and I was going to give it back to you. I think also have some small portable speakers in the glove compartment," he said, handing her the keys. His hands felt cold from the loss of her warmth and he rubbed them together. She returned within a few seconds, shuffling through her song list, selecting a few to add to a playlist and plugging it into the speakers.

"Now, where were we?"

After about 10 minutes, Adam felt the steps coming back to him and _he_ started teaching _Belle_ how to dance. She laughed at herself when she nearly tripped over her own feet and he smiled at her when her eyebrows came together in concentration.

The songs that played were all a blur to Adam because he was so engrossed in Belle's company. But when one in specific came on, it was as if he was commanded to listen to the words. He was amazed at how much these lyrics spoke to him; they said exactly what he felt about her.

_If all the flowers faded away_  
_And if all the storm clouds decided to stay_  
_Then you would find me_  
_Each hour the same_  
_She is tomorrow_  
_And I am today_

_If right is leaving_  
_I'd rather be wrong_  
_She is the sunlight_  
_The sun is gone_

_And if loving her is_  
_Is a heartache for me_  
_And if holding her means_  
_I have to bleed_  
_Then I am the martyr_  
_Love is to blame_

_She is the healing_  
_And I the pain_

_She lives in a daydream._  
_I don't belong._  
_She is the sunlight._  
_The sun is gone._

_I said if right is leaving_  
_I'd rather be wrong._  
_She is the sunlight,_  
_the sun is gone._  
_She is the sunlight,_  
_the sun is gone._

Belle was consumed by the music and its beautiful melody. She sighed and placed her head on Adams chest, marveling at how strong it was. She also felt his heart beating quickly against her cheek and it didn't take long for her pulse to quicken and their heartbeats to pound in the same rhythm. Her breath began to come in small, silent gasps as she looked up at him and saw him gazing down at her intently. Their eyes locked together as if they were entranced by each other. He traced her face with his lean fingers, pushing away a lock of hair that always seemed to be in the way. Then slowly, ever so achingly slowly, Adam lowered his head and his mouth met hers.

It was a chaste kiss; their mouths weren't open, there was no tongue. It was a mere brushing of their lips, as if to see what it felt like, and Belle felt it all the way to her toes. She was surprised that he did it and briefly wondered why, but eventually gave into the feeling of his startlingly soft lips on hers. The heroines in her romantic novels were all overcome by the passionate kisses they were given, each one like sex begging to happen. But this kiss said everything to her about how Adam was feeling: _I hope_ _this is okay, I hope you don't hate me for this, I hope my breath doesn't smell bad, I hope you know how I feel about you now, I've been wanting to do this for the longest time._

Adam couldn't take it anymore when she was staring at him while they were dancing. Lenny had been right; it was now or never. He wondered what she would do if he kissed her, but as he lowered his head, it was too late to turn back.

She tasted like strawberries and sunshine, like a refreshing spring rain. He didn't want to maul her, so he kept the kiss light and hoped that he conveyed every emotion he felt at that moment: _I hope this is okay, I hope you don't hate me for this, I hope my breath doesn't smell bad, I hope you know how I feel about you now, I've been wanting to do this for the longest time._

A bright white light shone in the back of his mind. He thought he had died and this was heaven, but he opened his eyes and saw that the light was coming from the parking lot. He lifted his hand to cover his eyes from the glare.

"Trevor?" Belle said. "What are you doing here?" Trevor and a group of his friends were approaching them, the headlights on their cars illuminating the field. They had just come from the banquet hall and were all still in their formal clothes.

"Stay away from her, you freak!" Trevor said as he ran towards Adam. Belle managed to stop him before he could actually get too close.

"Trevor! Stop it! I thought I told you that I want nothing to do with you!"

"Oh yeah? Is it because of the Beast, here? He's brainwashing you Belle! I don't know what it is he's got over you, but you don't have to be afraid of him anymore."

"Adam is completely innocent of anything you accuse him of. I don't know what he was like before I came here, but he's not the same anymore."

"Oh, c'mon Belle! No one has ever gotten close enough to him without being beat up. He beats everyone up! You look at him the wrong way, you get your ass kicked. You accidentally bump into him, you get your ass kicked. No one is safe with an animal like that in this town, and I plan to finally put him in his place." The crowd behind them cheered as Belle grabbed Trevor by his arm and led him away so she could talk to him in private.

"Why are you doing this?"

"For you, Belle. I'm saving you from him and from yourself. But…" he said, putting an arm around her shoulders, "if you tell me you'll go out with me now, I'll walk away from this and we can act like it never happened."

"Are you mental?" she yelled at the top of her lungs, pushing him away from her. "This is all because you want me? Get over yourself Trevor; not everyone falls for your phony bullshit." Trevor gritted his teeth in anger and looked over her shoulder to Adam.

"You," he said, stalking towards him and pushing Belle to the ground. She tried to get up but Trevor's fellow football members grabbed her and locked her inside a car so she couldn't interfere anymore. They had come to see a bloodbath, and some prissy little bitch wasn't about to get in their captain's way.

"Where's Belle?" Adam said, looking for her frantically. The crowd had surrounded him and he didn't see her when she walked away.

"She's on her way to my place, where I will be _thoroughly_ enjoying her company later."

"What?" Adam could hardly believe what he had just heard. "No. I…I don't believe you."

"Yeah. She said you were nice and all, but she was just using you to make me jealous." Trevor stood in front of him with a smirk on his face. Adam looked absolutely devastated. He knew he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. Girls like Belle would always go for guys like Trevor. "It almost worked too. But then I thought, why do I have to be jealous of a whack-job like you? But here's something to make us even." Trevor reared up and punched Adam straight in the jaw, knocking him to the grass. Adam was still too much in shock from what Trevor had just told him that he didn't bother fighting back. He just staggered to his feet.

"Hell, that felt pretty good. Let's try it again," Trevor said, giving Adam another punch to the face. The crowd around them was chanting 'fight, fight, fight', but Adam no longer had the heart. The one girl who he thought had saved him had been lying to him all along.

Belle was panicking in the car, trying to find a way to get the jocks who were leaning on the door and keeping her inside away from the car. She put her head in her hands and cried in tears of frustration. What was happening with Adam? This was all her fault! She nearly gave up all hope when the jocks ran to the field, leaving the car they were keeping her prisoner in completely unguarded. Not wasting any time, she flung the door open and ran towards the crowd that was moving farther and farther away, following Trevor and Adam.

Adam took punch after punch, kick after kick until he thought he could no longer bear it. He groaned and turned over onto his back.

"Get up and fight, you wuss. Did you honestly think she'd want you, when she could have someone like me?" Adam braced himself for another punch to the face when suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Trevor, stop it!" It was Belle. She was running towards them with tears streaming down her face, screaming at Trevor to stop. "Get away from him!" Adam saw the anguish on her face and immediately put two and two together. Trevor had lied to him; Trevor had lied to everyone.

With a newfound strength in seeing Belle, Adam stood up to his full height, easily towering over Trevor. The black-haired boy momentarily panicked. Adam began fighting back with no remorse for this boy who had caused the girl he loved so much trouble. With every punch, he remembered the things Trevor would say behind his back over the years, he remembered the look on Belle's face tonight when he had harassed her outside of the banquet hall. There was a punch for every person Trevor may have done wrong to in his whole life.

Trevor had backed up against a tree and was clinging onto it for dear life. One more punch, and he would end up with the same fate as that kid Adam beat up a few years back. Adam grabbed him and slammed him against the tree, ready to end this once and for all. But when he saw the terrified look in the boy's eyes, he stopped with his fist in mid-air. Belle's words from earlier came back to him.

"He's not worth it."

Adam dropped his fist slowly, his face softening somewhat but still holding the coldness in his blue eyes. He lowered Trevor to his feet and brought his face close to his, so he could tell him the last thing he would ever say to him.

"Get out of here, and never bother Belle again." He tossed Trevor to the ground as if he were a rag doll and turned to face Belle, who stood with her hands over her mouth to stop her screaming. He walked to her slowly, his body aching from the fight.

"Adam," she said as she ran to him, hugging him tightly but mindful of his injuries. He pressed his forehead against hers and wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs.

"Belle," he whispered. Belle caressed his cheek, wiping away traces of drying blood. She smiled as she looked into his eyes, thankful that everything was finally all right.

All of a sudden, she saw Adam's eyes shut tightly and he howled in pain. He dropped to his knees in front of her, and she saw Trevor standing behind him with a bloodied switchblade in his hand, his eyes burning with jealousy. He had the look of a madman.

"What did you do to him?" Belle screamed at the top of her lungs. Trevor's face immediately turned to horror when he realized what he had just done. She dropped to her knees and made Adam lie down on the ground, taking his jacket off to use as a cushion for his head. "Someone call an ambulance," she said to the crowd who had dispersed, no one wanting anything to do with the scene. "Somebody do something!" She screamed frantically into the darkness, new tears flowing. Adam's breathing was unsteady, his skin began to pale. He was turning cold and he began to shiver.

"It's okay Belle. I'm not scared to go. Don't cry."

"No, don't you dare talk like that."

"I'm sorry."

"You're going to be fine. We'll find someone to help you. Why didn't we leave when Trevor got here?"

"It wouldn't stop Belle. He would just keep coming after you," he coughed, as if struggling for air. Everything was beginning to get blurry in his sight. He reached out his hand, searching for Belle's face.

"Adam, I'm here. Hold on to me, I won't leave you." She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cheek.

"Belle," he said softly.

Her eyes widened as he began to close his eyes. "Stay with me, Adam, stay with me!" He tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes open, but he felt so tired and weak. All he wanted to do was sleep.

"I love you, Adam," he heard a girl whisper as he began to fade. "I love you."

Then there was nothing.

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**AN:** The song used in this chapter is 'She Is The Sunlight' by Trading Yesterday. Beautiful tune...I suggest you check it out =)


	14. Just Say Yes

**Disclaimer**: To my heart's dismay, I do not own any offspring of the creative minds at Disney.

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There was a bright light piercing through Adam's closed eyes. _Make it go away_, he mentally groaned. He slowly opened his eyes as he heard a beeping noise beside him and his vision adjusted to his new surroundings.

He was in a small room with white walls and sunlight shining through three tall windows. He shifted his eyes to his left and saw a machine with wires pouring out of it which, he realized as he began to get some feeling back in his limbs, were attached to various parts of his body. This realization then turned into another realization; he was in a hospital.

_How the hell did I end up here?_

Memories came flooding back like a tidal wave. Being in the park with Belle, _the kiss_, Trevor showing up and the two of them fighting. Adam cringed at the memory of the look Trevor had in his eyes when he pushed him up against that tree, and he remembered a burning pain in his side as he fell to the ground at Belle's feet. He could still see her face above his, her mouth forming words that seemed foreign to him as she faded away. After that, there was nothing.

On the table at the foot of his bed were baskets of flowers and fruit as well as a large collection of cards. His eyes followed the trail of more flowers and 'get well soon' balloons as they wound up and onto the windowsill. A dark head obstructed his view from the rest of his gifts. It was face down in the crook of the person's arm on top of Adam's hospital bed, their back rising and falling slowly indicating that they were asleep. Whoever it was, they had a firm grip on his hand. He recognized the delicate pink fingernails and the petite fingers; Belle's hand.

He stirred and her head shot up to look at him. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying and bags were under her eyes, making her look like she hadn't slept in days. He couldn't believe she was there.

"Belle?" he rasped.

"Adam, thank God!" she exclaimed as she sat up on the bed and hugged him with abandon.

"Ow, ow!" Adam said, wincing.

"Sorry," Belle said as she gently pulled away, this time mindful of his injuries. "I was just so worried. We thought you might go into a coma or something."

"A coma? How long have I been out?"

"About eight or nine days. The doctor had warned us that you could end up in intensive care or on life support," she tried to compose herself but new tears began to fall down her face. "He said there was a chance you might never wake up."

"Are these stitches?" Adam said as he ran his hand up is side, curiously feeling the prickly line.

"Yeah. The doctor said that the best thing we could do was wait and let you rest. I'm just so happy you're okay!" Belle said, laying her hand on his face.

"How did I get these?"

"You don't remember? Trevor…he stabbed you. In the park, after your fight."

"Oh," Adam said thoughtfully. That's what that pain was. "What happened to him?"

"Adam, I know you might be upset with him but let me just say something. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Trevor; God knows how much trouble he's given me since I've moved here. But…"

"But? You've had a change of heart?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Trevor's the one who called the ambulance. He also turned himself in to the police."

"Really?" Adam said as he sat up in his bed. He placed his hands in his lap and exhaled. "Well, I wasn't going to press any charges anyway."

"What?" Belle cried, surprised. "Why not? Not that I want you to, but I'm curious."

"If it wasn't for you, he would probably be the one in this hospital bed. Things happened in the heat of the moment and we did some stupid stuff. But I'm pretty sure we've both learned our lesson." He patted her hand that lay on top of his as he gave her a shy smile. Then his face sobered; out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall figure standing in the doorway. Belle followed his gaze.

"I think there's someone here to see you," she said, smiling. Adam grasped at Belle's arm, not wanting her to leave him. His attention turned back to the person standing in the doorway as they stepped out of the shadows. Adam's eyes widened in shock.

"Dad?" he breathed.

"He's willing to start over if you are," Belle whispered as she stepped away from the bed and led the elder Hawthorne man to the younger. "I'll give you two some privacy." She laid a hand on Vincent's shoulder and walked out of the room, giving Adam an encouraging smile as the door closed shut. With a smile on her face, she walked down the hall.

"I'm glad you're okay, Adam."

"Thanks." Silence. Both men looked away from each other and forced their eyes to wander about the room. Vincent Hawthorne cleared his throat.

"Belle seems like a very nice girl."

"She is."

"And you…care about her?"

"I'm in love with her, Dad."

"Ah," Vincent said as a smile crept to his lips.

"She's turned me into a whole new person. I'm a better man because of her."

"I can see the change in you. I can also see how much she loves you."

"Does she really?" Adam asked, unbelieving. "How can you tell?"

"Well, for starters, she hasn't left your side since you came here."

"She's been here the whole time?"

"Yes. I tried convincing her to go home and get some rest but she kept refusing and saying that she needed to stay with you. She's very stubborn; a perfect match for you. She's also partly the reason why I'm a better person too. She talked to me about how you felt after your mother left and she made me realize that you mean more to me than anything. It's probably too late to tell you this, but I love you son, and I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me the most. And I'm also sorry it took something like this to get me to realize that."

"I haven't exactly been the best kid in the world, either. I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time; and I love you too, Dad." Adam gave his father a small smile; all this spreading of love was new to him and it felt absolutely wonderful. Vincent placed a hand on Adams knee and shook it softly, returning the smile.

A soft knock was heard at the door, and Belle's head peered in.

"Is everything okay?"

"It is now," Adam said.

"I think I'll go grab a coffee. Belle, Adam, do you want anything?" They thanked him but declined and Belle noticed Vincent give his son a wink as he walked out of the door.

"Belle, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Before I came here, when we were in the park, you said something."

"Yeah…actually, I was screaming at the top of my lungs."

"No. Right before I passed out, you said something. And if you _did_ say what I think you said, I need you to say it again so I know it was real. I need to know I wasn't just dreaming."

"I think I know what you're getting at."

"Please, Belle?" She leaned in close to him, pressing her cheek against his. He could feel her warm breath on his ear and she clasped his hand in both of hers, holding it to her heart.

"I love you, Adam Hawthorne." When she turned to kiss him on his cheek, she tasted something salty. Pulling away, she saw his face streaked with tears and his eyes shining with new life. She brushed them away, and she smiled.

"I love you too," Adam said, tracing her jaw with his fingers. With a light kiss, she crawled next to him and laid her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart; his heart that was now beating as a whole.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Both of their heads shot up as they heard Lenny's familiar voice. Charlie walked in with Lia, who was holding Chip's hand.

"Wow, Adam. You look like hell."

"Thanks, Lenny. It's good to see you too."

"I hope you don't mind, Adam. Chip wanted to come by to see how you were doing," Lia said. The little boy scurried up to the bedside holding a large construction paper card.

"I wanted to give you this! I made it myself in school. My teacher asked me who it was for, and I told her it was for my best friend." Charlie helped the boy get up on top of the bed so he could see Adam better. "Were you and Belle kissing?" The young couple blushed at the boy's comment.

"Uh, maybe…"

"So, are you Belle's boyfriend now?"

"Yes, he is," Belle answered for the both of them, with a secret smile to Adam. She looked at him with love in her eyes; love for him and nothing else.

"Good. Now you can live happily ever after."

"I think that's what we're planning on, Chip." He took Belle's hand in his and smiled. "I think that's what we're planning on."

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**AN:** A big thank you to all of you who took the time to read this story, an even bigger thank you to those who reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. I have plans for another modern-Disney story you guys would like to see written, but my message box is open for suggestions (i would LOVE to hear your ideas!)

a great big thanks again!

-kabashley19


	15. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

"There now...easy does it," Belle said as she rolled Adam onto the deck that faced the gardens a month later. She set the brake on his wheelchair and patted his arm. "I'm going to fix us some snacks. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine," Adam replied. He gently grabbed her hand as she began to walk away from him, and she gave him a stunning smile. Adam watched over his shoulder as she walked into the house, a small contented sigh escaping his lips. Just as he was starting to get sick of the hospital, doctors, tests and needles, he was told he could go home. He nearly jumped out of the hospital bed until they dampened his excitement by saying he needed to stay in a wheelchair until he felt like he could walk without any problems. He had been looking forward to spending the summer with Belle as a couple and giving their love a chance to actually grow stronger. The only upside to all of it was that Belle had insisted to be his own personal nurse, pushing him around everywhere, making him food and just...taking care of him. He had relied on himself for so long he had forgotten what it felt like when someone actually wanted to take care of you. Not that he took advantage of it, of course. Adam chuckled and looked towards the sky. Everything was finally perfect.

Belle returned with a tray of cookies and two cups of lemonade. Adam eyed it as she set it down beside him.

"I knew you would change your mind," she said with laughter in her voice. She handed a cup to him and took the other in her small hand, looking out over the greenery. She squinted as something unusual caught her eye.

"Hey, Adam?"

"Yeah?" His voice was muffled from the cookie he was currently eating.

"Look over there."

"Where?"

"That patch of red roses."

"You mean the ones that never ever opened up? What about them?"

"It's probably my imagination but..." Belle squinted her eyes even more to block out the sun, thinking it was obstructing her vision. She looked over to Adam who was staring at the roses with his eyes wide in surprise. She watched him, as if mesmerized, stand up slowly from his wheelchair.

"Adam," she said in a small voice as she stood up to go after him, "I'm not sure if you should be standing so soon." But he ignored her and stood up to his full height and walked to the mysterious roses, leaving Belle immobile because of shock. When he turned back towards her, he held a rose in his hand and knelt at her feet when he reached the deck.

"They...they've bloomed. Because of you."

"Adam, I didn't do anything. It's just a coincidence." He looked up at her, his clear blue eyes intense with emotion and filled with tears.

"Oh really? Is it just a coincidence that they were dead and lifeless when I was dead and lifeless? That the moment I felt that you had completed the half of my heart that was missing, they suddenly bloomed? No, Belle," he shook his head, his eyes still on her face. "They were waiting for the beautiful soul that would give them life again...you." He held the rose up in between them as if he was offering her his entire heart. Tears in her eyes, she took the rose from him delicately and inhaled the strong scent and smiled.

"I love you." It was all she said, all she could say. At those words, the_ beast_ grabbed his_ beauty_ by the waist and swung her around, his laughter mingling with hers.

And as they promised to Chip, they did live happily ever after.

_In a tale as old as time._

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**AN:** I had to add this one last chapter...it felt like something was missing to me.

Thanks again for reading!


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